February is the month every year when we honor Black history here in the United States. It’s the perfect time to expand your knowledge about key figures and moments in Black history and consider how your life has been impacted because of them. While there are so many ways to learn, one is by doing something you’ve probably already done today or will do later tonight: streaming a movie.
There are so many amazing movies out there sharing important stories about the lives of African Americans. And there aren’t enough days in February to watch them all. I’m sure we missed some so we’d love to hear what you’re going to be watching. Here are 10 films worth watching this month and all year round:
42 (2013)
In this biopic, the late Chadwick Boseman (who also brought us the incredible Black Panther) stars as baseball legend Jackie Robinson. Robinson made history when he was drafted to the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1945, becoming the first Black player in Major League Baseball. It’s a sports movie that’s about so much more than sports.
Selma (2014)
The voting rights marches of 1965 are chronicled in this powerful film starring David Oyelowo as Martin Luther King, Jr. and Stephan James as Representative John Lewis. It was also directed by Ava DuVernay, the groundbreaking director who was also the first Black woman to win an award for directing at the Sundance Film Festival for drama.
Harriet (2019)
The name Harriet Tubman is one many of us first hear in elementary school, but this biopic gives us a more complete picture of the abolitionist’s life. English triple threat Cynthia Erivo leads the cast as Tubman, who personally freed more than 70 slaves and also served as a spy during the Civil War.
13th (2016)
Also directed by DuVernay, this documentary about the rise of mass incarceration in the United States is hard to watch, and it should be. Adopted in 1865, the Thirteenth Amendement to the United States Constitution did end slavery, but led to the imprisonment of African Americans on a devastating scale.
Hidden Figures (2016)
This is one of Lola’s favorite movies and I can say it sparked her interest in science. While the entire country marveled at the accomplishments of NASA during the Space Race of the 1960s, no one knew about the incredible Black female mathematicians working behind the scenes. The film stars Taraji P. Henson, Octavia Spencer and Janelle Monáe as Katherine Johnson, Dorothy Vaughan and Mary Jackson.
Just Mercy (2019)
Michael B. Jordan plays real-life defense lawyer and founder of the Equal Justice Initiative Bryan Stevenson in this legal drama. It follows Stevenson’s fight to have the conviction of a Black man imprisoned for allegedly murdering a white woman. Stevenson continues to work on behalf of those who cannot afford proper representation.
Malcolm X (1992)
Prolific Black director Spike Lee’s epic tribute to activist Malcolm X is brilliant from start to finish. It follows Malcolm’s life from rural Michigan to his joining the Nation of Islam and his eventual assassination. Denzel Washington’s performance should have taken home the Oscar, but remains the most iconic representation of the civil rights leader on film.
12 Years A Slave (2013)
Based on the 1853 memoir written by former slave Solomon Northup. Director Steve McQueen’s period piece features Chiwetel Ejiofor as a free man who was kidnapped and sold into slavery. It brings another horrific side of slavery to light as we follow Northup’s 12 years spent working on Lousiana plantations.
Loving (2016)
In 1967, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that states could not have laws prohibiting interracial marriage. The couple at the center of the case was the Lovings: Richard (a white man) and Mildred (a woman of color). The title roles are played by Ruth Negga and Joel Edgerton, reminding us of the power of love amid their fight for equal rights.
The Death And Life Of Marsha P. Johnson (2017)
During the Stonewall uprising of 1969, gay liberation activist and drag queen Marsha P. Johnson faced off against the New York City Police Department, at the forefront of a moment that defined the fight for LGBTQIA rights. Black trans women are more in danger now than perhaps ever before, which makes this one such an important watch.
What other films should be on our list? Share your picks for Black History Month in the comments.
