Top 10 Films To Watch For Black History Month

Black history is American history. At a time when the forces of racism, hatred, and oppression seek to deny that history, to prohibit the teaching truth and to replace those truths with an ugly whitewashed lie, it is even more important to stand up and loudly proclaim the truth of Black history, of American history, for all to see. So here are the top 10 films to watch for Black History Month — to learn, to enjoy, and to show those who want to erase history that we will not let them win.

I’m doing something a bit different with this list. First of all, it’s not actually strictly just a film list, because it includes one streaming miniseries. In addition, I’ll have some extra recommendations for you as well, enough to give you an entire month’s worth of viewing options.

For the main list, I favored productions based on true stories, preferably told by Black artists. There are only a very few exceptions or partial exceptions.

Here, in no particular order, are the top 10 films I recommend for watching in honor of Black History Month!

• Passing
• Malcolm X
• 12 Years A Slave
• I Am Not Your Negro
• Hidden Figures
• Judas and the Black Messiah
• Fruitvale Station
• 13th
• Rosewood
• When They See Us

Now, besides the list above, I have a few additional recommendations for you, to further enhance and expand the viewing options and experiences for Black History Month.

First up, I want to highlight the fact you can watch The Fight for the Black Middle Class on MagellanTV, free to non-subscribers, as part of their full curated playlist of documentaries for Black History Month.

The rest of the list — available to subscribers — has many other important films, including Race for Justice, A Ripple of Hope, and Jayhawkers: The True Story of Phog Allen and Wilt Chamberlain.

MagellanTV deserves a shout-out for being a low-cost documentary streaming service, and especially when we are discussing the importance of history during a period when history is literally under attack and treated as controversial for being informative and daring speak the truth.

Next, here is another list of 15 additional films for those who might want the option of something to watch for Black History Month every night in February. You can combine the 10 film list above with some MagellanTV documentaries, and then add in these 15 films below to make a whole month’s worth of viewing.

As with the main list above, I favored true stories and Black filmmakers for this list as well, although there are still a few exceptions…

• If Beale Street Could Talk
• Mudbound
• Do the Right Thing
• One Night In Miami
• Detroit
• A Raisin in the Sun
• Losing Ground
• Chi-Raq
• Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom
• Daughters of the Dust
• Blackkklansman
• 42
• Straight Outta Compton
• Black Panther
• Loving

There you have it, dear readers, my picks for the best films, documentaries, and miniseries to watch to celebrate Black History Month and to oppose the social movement seeking to hide and deny that history.

I hope you find many here you’ve not yet seen that you will seek out, and I hope you will recommend them to family and friends. Stay safe, stay healthy, and stay informed.