Black History Month DocumentariesLike this list

26 items

• Summer of Soul

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  The Harlem Cultural Festival of 1969 attracted an audience of 300,000 over the course of six concerts; however, the recordings of the event became significantly more accessible with this multi-award-winning documentary by Questlove.

• The Black Church

  [This Is Our Story, This Is Our Song]

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  Henry Louis Gates Jr. hosts this special from 2020 about the rich history of the Black Church. Interviewees include Cornel West, Oprah Winfrey and John Legend, among others.

• Good Hair

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  Comedian Chris Rock tackles the very personal issue of hair, and how attaining good hair can impact African Americans' activities, relationships, wallets, and self-esteem.

• Horror Noire

  a History of Black Horror

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  Horror movie historians and directors revisit the significant role that African Americans have played in the development and evolution of the genre.

• Step

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  Chronicles the senior year of a girls' high school step dance team against the background of inner-city Baltimore. Empowered by their teachers, coaches, families, and each other, they strive to win a championship and go to college.

• Tulsa

  the Fire and the Forgotten, a Centennial Exploration of the 1921 Race Massacre

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  The tragic destruction of the Greenwood district of Tulsa, Oklahoma in 1921 has resonated down the generations. For the 100th anniversary, PBS prepared this documentary exploring atonement, reconciliation, and reparation related to the violence.

• Kiki

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  Filmmaker Sara Jordenö introduces viewers to some of Kiki culture's most prominent personalities, going beyond the glamour of the balls to highlight the serious challenges facing queer black and Latino young people.

• Black Wings

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  For early aviators, conquering the forces of gravity was a daunting challenge. But black aviators had an additional challenge: conquering the forces of racism. Meet the men and women who took to the skies throughout the 20th century, proving to a…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• 20 Feet From Stardom

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  They are the voices behind the greatest rock, pop, and R&B hits of all time, but no one knows their names. Now, in this award-winning documentary, director Morgan Neville shines the spotlight on the untold stories of such legendary background…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Hoop Dreams

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  This documentary follows two inner-city basketball phenoms' lives through high school as they chase their dreams of playing in the NBA.

• What's My Name

  Muhammad Ali

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  Experience the extraordinary life of one of the 20th century’s most iconic figures, Muhammad Ali, in this riveting two-part documentary from HBO Sports. Presented through archival footage and recordings of his own voice, the film explores Ali’s…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Tell Them We Are Rising

  the Story of Historically Black Colleges & Universities

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  Black colleges and universities are a haven for black intellectuals, artists, and revolutionaries, and have educated the architects of freedom movements and cultivated leaders in every field. Examine the impact these institutions have had on…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• John Lewis

  Good Trouble

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  Using interviews and rare archival footage, this documentary chronicles Lewis’s 60-plus years of social activism and legislative action on civil rights, voting rights, gun control, health care reform, and immigration.

• LA 92

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  25 years after the verdict in the Rodney King trial sparked several days of protests and violence in Los Angeles, this film immerses viewers in that tumultuous period through stunning and rarely seen footage.

• Paris Is Burning

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  This landmark documentary provides a vibrant snapshot of the 1980s through the eyes of New York City’s African American and Latinx Harlem drag-ball scene.

• Owned

  a Tale of Two Americas

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  This documentary unearths the complicated, painful, often disturbing history of housing policy in America, shifting perceptions about what the idea of home means.

• Say Her Name

  the Life and Death of Sandra Bland

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  An investigation into what happened to activist Sandra Bland, who died in police custody after a routine traffic stop.

• Boss

  the Black Experience in Business

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  This documentary seeks to illuminate, educate, and inform by examining more than 150 years of African-American men and women, from those bound by bondage to moguls at the top of multimillion-dollar empires.

• King in the Wilderness

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  Follows Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. during the volatile last three years of his life, from the passage of the Voting Rights Act in 1965 to his assassination in April 1968. Drawing on revelatory stories from his inner circle of friends, the film…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Quest

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  A moving portrait of the Rainey family living in North Philadelphia. Beginning at the dawn of the Obama presidency, Christopher "Quest" Rainey and his wife, Christine'a "Ma Quest," raise a family while nurturing a community of hip-hop artists in…Read moreRead more of this annotation