Celebrate Black History Month with these films

In honor of February creeping up on you, and instead of being made excruciatingly aware of your single loneliness because of extravagant capitalist declarations of the neurochemical con job that is romantic love, you could be enjoying and celebrating Black History Month. 

Black History Month was officially designated by President Gerald Ford in 1976 (the country’s bicentennial). Over the last 45 years, there have been monumental changes around how we celebrate Black history and pay tribute to the Black Americans that have served as pillars in our nation’s history. The rise of the prominence of the Black Lives Matter movement has also led to the rise of more awareness of Black American culture. 

Documentaries like “13th” by Ava DuVernay (director of “Selma” and “A Wrinkle in Time,” Oscar nominee and two-time Emmy winner) received surges during last summer — according to one account, “13th” bore a 4665% increase after the death of George Floyd. 

Each popular streaming site boasts its own collection of movies or TV series made by and/or about Black Americans. While there are plenty for more casual or relaxed viewing, there are also plenty of powerful, touching and heart wrenching (perhaps not as relaxed) choices.

Netflix 

• “Astronomy Club: The Sketch Show”: A witty and entertaining sketch comedy show with an all-Black cast. It’s only six episodes long though, so try to keep yourself from watching it all in one go.

• “13th”: An award-winning documentary about “the criminalization of African Americans and the U.S. prison boom.”
• “Moonlight”: 2017 Academy Award winner for best picture tells the story of “the conflicted and fluid masculinity of young African-American men in the United States” through a trifecta of touching chapters of young Chiron’s life. 
• Honorable mentions: “When They See Us,” “Becoming,” “Fruitvale Station,” “Barry,” “Homecoming”

Hulu

• “Sorry to Bother You”: A whip-smart — if slightly raunchy — comedy from Boots Riley about the power of Cassius Green’s discovery of the “magical key to professional success, propelling him into a macabre universe.”
• “If Beale Street Could Talk”: A heartbreaking drama about a young couple fighting against injustice, based on the book by James Baldwin. Featuring Academy Award-winning actress Regina King. 
• “BlacKkKlansman”: In one of Spike Lee’s most poignant films, John David Washington as Ron Stallworth goes undercover to infiltrate the KKK. It received an Oscar for best adapted screenplay. 
• Honorable mentions: “Atlanta,” “Black-ish,” “Black Stories Presents: Your Attention Please”

Disney+ also offers numerous opportunities to expand your cultural horizons — perhaps most notably through “Black Panther,” Beyonce’s “Black is King,” or maybe “The Color of Friendship” if you really want a throwback — in addition to HBO Max, Amazon Prime Video, and PBS (which has just released a list of 10 must-watch documentaries about Black history). Not to mention the avalanche of YouTube content. In any case, there is no better way to kick off Black History Month than hearing Black stories. 

Sage Souza is a junior studying political science and Spanish. In her free time, she enjoys long walks on the beach, making too many playlists on Spotify, and retweeting Karl Marx fancams.

—sageksouza@gmail.com

@sageksouza