Highlighting documentaries and movies that will help shed light on the Black experience and teach us more about Black History.
Documentaries & Films
I Am Not Your Negro
From the civil rights movement to Black Lives Matter to representation in Hollywood, I Am Not Your Negro examines the modern Black experience in America through the last writings of James Baldwin and his correspondences with Malcolm X, Martin Luther King Jr., and Medgar Evers.
Teach Us All
Decades after the landmark case Brown v. Board of Education, Sonia Lowman’s documentary covers how segregation, though illegal, persists in the American school system through demographic inequality, specifically in Little Rock, New York City, and Los Angeles.
Available to rent on Apple TV.
John Lewis: Good Trouble
The documentary is a deep dive into the late Georgia congressman’s history, from being a civil-rights leader alongside Martin Luther King Jr. to a political career spent fighting for Black voting rights.
Click here to find your favorite streaming platform.
Time: The Kalief Browder Story
This six-episode docuseries recounts how 16-year-old Kalief Browder was accused of stealing a backpack, but went on to spend three years in prison because his family couldn’t afford his bail and the system had no place for him. Browder spent two of his three years in solitary confinement on Rikers Island without ever being convicted of a crime, and died by suicide two years after his release. Each episode focuses on a different aspect of the incarceration, from the system to the witness to Rikers itself to what life looked like for Browder after his release.
Available to watch on Netflix.
All In: The Fight for Democracy
Stacey Abrams, the Georgia Democrat nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize for her efforts in the 2020 election, is the central subject of the doc chronicling the history of voter suppression in this country.
Available to watch on Amazon Prime.
Many streaming platforms offer collections of films and documentaries featuring Black History and People of Color in directing and acting roles. Below are some suggested places to start.
Hulu: Black Stories
Hulu offers a collection of content that runs the gamut from scripted series, reality shows, music documentaries, and original movies. The Craig Robinson–hosted Your Attention Please returns for its third season to “take us on a visual journey into the lives, ideas, and purpose of a diverse group of Black innovators and creators who are leaving their mark on the world.”
Amazon Prime Video: Celebrate Black Voices
Amazon’s curated page is dedicated to celebrating “Black joy. Black love. Black Laughter.” in February.
Netflix: Black Lives Matter
Black lives matter. Learn more about racial injustice and the Black experience in America with this collection of films, series and documentaries.
The History Vault Collection of Black History Films & Documentaries
HISTORY Channel brings you thousands of documentaries and series exploring the events and people that shaped our world, from ancient empires to modern warfare. This collection includes a variety of films and documentaries like The 44th President: In His Own Words, The Night Tulsa Burned, and Rosa Parks: Mother of a Movement.
HBO Max:
Black History is Our History
The Warner Bros.–backed streaming service highlights films, documentaries, biopics, original programming, and animation that focus on the Black experience through a central programming hub. Watch celebrated documentaries like John Lewis: Good Trouble, Say Her Name: The Life and Death of Sandra Bland, or What’s My Name: Muhammad Ali.