Family movies for Black History Month
Family movies centered around Black narratives are a great way to celebrate Black history and Black culture in a casual family setting.
Black History Month has started, and this is a great time to educate family members, especially children, about Black history. It is also a good time to support Black authors, actors, and creators. Here are three suggestions for movies to turn on with family this month. These movies are meant to be fun and interesting, not didactic or political, making them easy to watch by those younger and older.
“Hidden Figures”
“Hidden Figures” is the most serious choice of the three suggestions for family movie night, but it excitingly involves rocket science. It tells the story of three Black women involved in the launch of the first man into space. The movie is based on a true story, with some elaboration for cinema. The women in the story are loveable and determined, making this not just an educational movie, but a compelling one.
This movie was nominated for three Oscars, and has won several other film awards, including the Saturn Award. To watch “Hidden Figures,” it is streaming on ABC during Black History Month, but is also available on Disney+, Hulu Premium, Sling Premium, and FuboTV.
“Black Panther”
“Black Panther” and “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” is about a hidden area of land in Africa that has highly advanced technology thanks to a material called Vibranium. The franchise is part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe and may require a bit of background knowledge to fully understand, but both movies stand strong on their own too. While this movie has had a lot of controversy over whether it truly demonstrates positive Black narratives, that does not make it not worth watching. The second movie addresses not just Black narratives but also the colonialization of Hispanic ethnicities, which adds to the thought-provoking nature of the imaginary governments and countries in the movie.
“Black Panther” has won three Oscars and a Golden Globe, which means it is not only a great family movie but is widely acclaimed by critics. You can watch this movie with a Disney+ subscription.
“Spider-Man: Into the Spiderverse” and “Across the Spiderverse”
The Spiderverse movies are probably the most engaging for kids but may also have the best Black narrative out of all of these suggestions. These two movies are about a superhero named Miles who is half Black and Puerto Rican. His race and ethnicity influence his identity in a big way, but the story is focused on him doing amazing things despite incredible difficulties. These films can be especially empowering for Black teens and kids who do not see themselves in superhero narratives very often.
“Into the Spiderverse” won an Oscar for animation, and “Across the Spiderverse” was nominated. Streaming this movie is somewhat difficult because Disney and Sony co-own the movie, but it can be found on FuboTV, Hulu Premium, and Sling Premium.
Watching a family movie together during Black History Month can be a great way to celebrate Black culture and embrace unique perspectives that come from racial diversity.