--- title: Video Shows a Day in the Life of a Black Man and a White Man description: The two men go about their days doing the same activities, but meeting with vastly different results. canonical: https://time.com/3841969/split-screen-video-race-in-america/ author: Eliza Berman article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2015-04-30T20:58:04.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-05-11T04:47:40.817Z og:title: This Split-Screen Video Compares the Lives of a Black Man and a White Man og:description: The two men go about their days doing the same activities, but meeting with vastly different results. og:url: https://time.com/3841969/split-screen-video-race-in-america/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt60f31c4274b46942/6987edc60b72e381c66e1d2e/screen-shot-2015-04-30-at-12-26-02-pm.png?branch=production og:image:width: 1783 og:image:height: 1008 og:image:alt: Screen Shot 2015-04-30 at 12.26.02 PM og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: This Split-Screen Video Compares the Lives of a Black Man and a White Man twitter:description: The two men go about their days doing the same activities, but meeting with vastly different results. twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt60f31c4274b46942/6987edc60b72e381c66e1d2e/screen-shot-2015-04-30-at-12-26-02-pm.png?branch=production ---  # This Split-Screen Video Compares the Lives of a Black Man and a White Man  by [Eliza Berman](https://time.com/author/eliza-berman/)  ## Eliza Berman Berman is a senior editor at TIME. Apr 30, 2015 8:58 PM UTC  by [Eliza Berman](https://time.com/author/eliza-berman/)  ## Eliza Berman Berman is a senior editor at TIME. Apr 30, 2015 8:58 PM UTC In a new video, “Racism Is Real,” [Brave New Films](http://www.bravenewfilms.org/about) uses a split screen to compare a day in the life of a black man to a day in the life of a white man in America. The two actors go about the same activities: applying for jobs, buying cars, driving, attempting to buy a house. Each storyline has a different result. The black man doesn’t get an interview while the white man does; he is charged more for his car and gets pulled over while the white man does not; and he is not shown a house that a realtor happily shows the white man. To support the divergent scenarios, the video uses statistics from studies by the University of Chicago, the New York _Times_, the American Civil Liberties Union and other organizations. Where viewers may be accustomed to hearing about issues of race in a piecemeal fashion — how race affects employment, housing opportunities or interactions with law enforcement — the video attempts to create a cohesive view of all the ways a person’s race might change the course of a single day. According to its website, Brave New Films hopes to use media as a tool to inspire action on social issues: **“**From exposing the private prison crisis to helping middle class and poor workers to understanding where your tax dollars are going, our groundbreaking social media campaigns have revolutionized activism.” ### The March on Washington: Power to the People  Martin Luther King Jr. addresses the crowd during the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, August 28, 1963. Francis Miller—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Scene from the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, August 28, 1963. Paul Schutzer—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Scene from the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, August 28, 1963. Paul Schutzer—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Lena Horne at the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, August 28, 1963. Paul Schutzer—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Scene from the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, August 28, 1963. Paul Schutzer—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Scene from the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, August 28, 1963. Paul Schutzer—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Scene from the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, August 28, 1963. Paul Schutzer—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Joan Baez sings during the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, August 28, 1963. Paul Schutzer—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Odetta sings during the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, August 28, 1963. Paul Schutzer—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Scene from the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, August 28, 1963. Paul Schutzer—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Scene from the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, August 28, 1963. Paul Schutzer—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Actress and activist Ruby Dee, who with her husband, Ossie Davis, served as "master and mistress" of ceremonies at the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, August 28, 1963. Paul Schutzer—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Caption from LIFE. Overalled couple with New York delegation, reminiscent of famous Grant Wood painting, join crowd which packed mall before Lincoln Memorial. Paul Schutzer—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Scene from the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, August 28, 1963. 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