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As we celebrate Black History Month, one meaningful way to honor the past and learn together as a family is through a movie night.
Black History movies can teach us so much about past struggles and present-day triumphs, and also introduce kids to diverse experiences and new perspectives. While some of these films are better for older kids, they all spark conversations that can help educate and inspire.
So whether it is a film about the Civil Rights movement or one about an inventor who brings kids joy, all of these movies are worth celebrating.
During Black History Month, planning a family movie night is a simple, meaningful way to learn together. Watching Black History Month movies gives families a practical starting point for conversations about history, culture, and progress.
Psst.. Check Out 12 Children’s Books to Read for Black History Month
Black History Movies for Kids Ages 4-9
The Journey of Henry Box Brown
The story of Henry “Box” Brown, a former slave who shipped himself in a wooden box to freedom. On the way, he meets a bird, a cricket, and a mouse, and he teaches them about slavery and what it means to be free.
Dancing in the Light: The Janet Collins Story
This movie tells the story of the first African-American ballerina at the Metropolitan Opera House. However, she was asked to paint her face white.
A Ballerina’s Tale
This documentary tells the incredible story of Misty Copeland—the first African-American principal dancer in a major international ballet troupe—including all of the adversity she faced to become one of the best dancers in the world.
Soul
Well regarded as one of the best black history movies for kids, The Soul portrays the story of Joe Gardner (Jaime Foxx), a middle school band teacher who has been waiting to play jazz with the best players out there, and finally gets his chance.
Unfortunately, Joe finds himself at the wrong place at the wrong time and ends up at The Great Before, where new souls are sent to get a new personality.
This sends Joe and his new friend Soul 22 on a journey where both end up realizing that life has a lot more to offer than they thought, and maybe he actually was at the right place all along.
Black History Movies for Kids Ages 10-12
Hidden Figures
A must-see movie for your space-obsessed kids. Based on the true story of the smart, strong Black women mathematicians known as “computers” who worked at NASA in the space program’s early years.
Starring Janelle Monáe, Taraji P. Henson, and Octavia Spencer, the movie shows that segregation existed for these women even while at work and how they overcame obstacles and were game-changers in the “Space Race.”
Ruby Bridges
Based on the true story of the 6-year-old Black girl selected to be the first Black child to attend an all-white school in New Orleans in 1960.
Remember the Titans
This movie tells the story of the real-life integration of a Virginia high school team.
Black History Movies for Ages 13+
Selma
Selma focuses on the 1965 voting rights marches stretching from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama. The film highlights just a fraction of the work done by Civil Rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr.
Love & Basketball
Watch main characters Monica and Quincy navigate through life’s challenges together as they explore their relationship with each other and, of course, play basketball.
BlaKkKlansman
Ron Stallworth (John David Washington) is the first Black detective to serve with the Colorado Springs Police Department, and the film follows Stallworth as he goes undercover and infiltrates the Ku Klux Klan.
Working with his partner, Flip Zimmerman (Adam Driver), the two detectives manage to ‘join’ the local Ku Klux chapter.
While the movie is not easy to watch, director Spike Lee directs a film that not only shares the story of Stallworth but shows how horrible racism is. This movie is better suited for older kids and teenagers.
Daughters of the Dust
The first feature film directed by an African American woman, distributed theatrically in the United States, Daughters of the Dust tells the story of three generations of Gullah women on Saint Helena Island as they prepare to migrate off the island and to the North.
Director Julie Dash explores an area of Black history that has not been explored by other films yet, and this makes it one of the most inspiring Black history movies of all time.
The Butler
Directed by Lee Daniels, this movie is loosely based on the life of long-time White House employee Eugene Allen.
The film stars Forest Whitaker, Oprah Winfrey, and David Oyelowo, to name just a few of this stellar cast.
The fictional Cecil Gaines shares the story of what life was like having a front-row seat for three decades working in the White House, mostly the Oval Office, and how his loyalty to his job caused friction at home with his wife and son.
Glory
Glory is a cinematic Oscar-nominated black history film based on the American Civil War’s 54th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment, the first Union African American regiment. While these men served bravely during this war, they learned that the Confederacy had issued an order for all Black soldiers to be returned to slavery.
While the characters are fictional, the story is based on the regiment’s heroic actions at the Second Battle of Fort Wagner.
Psst.. Check Out Black History Month: How Families Can Celebrate and Learn
