Powerful Documentaries for Black History Month
Sometimes experiencing history through a documentary is more impactful than reading a book, and there are so many good documentaries available now! Here are some of the best films about Black history and Black experiences, available to check out on DVD or stream from hoopla with your FDL card.
The Black Panthers: Vanguard of the Revolution
This is the first feature length documentary to explore the Black Panther Party, its significance to the broader American culture, its cultural and political awakening for black people, and the painful lessons wrought when a movement derails.
This fascinating and controversial film goes underneath the surface to explore the prejudices dark-skinned women face throughout the world. Also available on hoopla.
Melding new archival research with her family’s story, Gretchen Sorin recovers a lost history, demonstrating how, when combined with black travel guides—including the famous Green Book—the automobile encouraged a new way of resisting oppression.
The most critically acclaimed documentary on civil rights in America recounts the fight to end decades of discrimination and segregation.
Renowned director Stanley Nelson chronicles the inspirational story of American civil rights activists’ peaceful fight against racial segregation on buses and trains in the 1960s. Also available on hoopla.
Filmmaker Raoul Peck envisions the book James Baldwin never finished, Remember This House, that was to be a revolutionary, personal account of the lives and assassinations of three of his close friends: Medgar Evers, Malcolm X and Martin Luther King, Jr. It is a journey into black history that connects the Civil Rights movement to #BlackLivesMatter. Also available on hoopla.
An intimate account of legendary U.S. Representative John Lewis’ life, legacy and more than 60 years of extraordinary activism – from the bold teenager on the front lines of the Civil Rights movement to the legislative powerhouse. Also available on hoopla.
This documentary challenges one of Americans’ most cherished assumptions – the belief that slavery in this country ended with the Emancipation Proclamation – by telling the harrowing story of how in the South, a new system of involuntary servitude took its place with shocking force. Also available on hoopla as a Bonus Borrow for February.
The latest documentary from Stanley Nelson (Black Panthers, Freedom Riders) and Marco Williams, the powerful story of the rise, influence, and evolution of Historically Black Colleges and Universities comes to life.
Only on hoopla:
This film from award-winning filmmaker Ken Burns tells the story of the five black and Latino teenagers from Harlem who were wrongly convicted of raping a white woman in New York City’s Central Park in 1989. The film chronicles the Central Park jogger case, for the first time from the perspective of the five young men whose lives were upended by this miscarriage of justice. Part of hoopla’s Bonus Borrows collection for February.
Following his journey across the mountaintops and valleys while capturing the Civil Rights Movement at large, the film provides intimate, first hand insights on Dr. King, exploring moments of personal challenge and elation, and an ongoing movement that is as important today as when Dr. King first shone a light on the plight of his fellow African Americans.
A racially charged criminal trial and a heartrending love story converge in this documentary about Mildred and Richard Loving, set during the turbulent Civil Rights era. Part of hoopla’s Bonus Borrows collection for February.
Maya Angelou: And Still I Rise
This film celebrates Dr. Maya Angelou by weaving her words with rare and intimate archival photographs and videos, which paint hidden moments of her exuberant life during some of America’s most defining moments.