Friday Family Movie Night was something we started during the pandemic to have something to look forward to every week. Over night, it became our favorite family tradition that will last long beyond stay-at-home orders. A fun family ritual every week, pandemic or not, reminds us to slow down and enjoy each other. My husband and I both love movies, so this is the perfect family ritual for us. And it has been super fun to theme our night based on the holidays that month or what my son suddenly is interested in. So as February is Black History Month, I want to share movies with my family that celebrate and educate about black historical heroes and black culture. So here are 7 family movies to watch in celebration of Black History Month:
Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Cinderella
Stream Disney+ starting 2/12/21
I’m not sure if I willed it, but early last week, I thought for our Friday family movie night I would really love to watch Brandy’s 1997 CINDERELLA with my son. I eagerly awaited for it 1997 and loved it when it finally arrived. My son loves music, and as Brandy was the first black woman to portray Cinderella on screen, it was the perfect film to watch during Black History Month. I was bummed though when I couldn’t find it anywhere to stream. Then after reading my mind, Disney announced it was coming to Disney+ on Friday, February 12th. So it is safe to say, this Friday at 6:30 PM, you will find me with wine and pizza in hand, watching with my family the most magical, culturally important CINDERELLA to date.
Stream Disney+ and Netflix
Brandy as CINDERELLA makes way for Tiana in THE PRINCESS AND THE FROG. Tiana is the first black Disney princess and is obviously a feminist too. Loosely based on the classic Brothers Grimm Frog Prince fairy tale, Tiana’s story is set in the magical city of New Orleans and the score makes you feel like you are sitting sideline at a Mardi Gras parade. Tiana more than wishes about her dream to own restaurant, she works hard for it too, and she earns it, until she’s outbid on the property for her restaurant and voodoo magic turns her into a frog. I love this movie.
Stream Disney+ and Amazon
Every year for Black History Month, the Association for the Study of African American Life and History picks a theme, and this year the theme is The Black Family: Representation, Identity, and Diversity. The Proud family may be a fictional African American family but they are filled with the same humor, love, and complex family dynamics of any real family, making this movie perfect for your family movie night. The movie also has a bit of black history in it too, as we learn one of the characters is a descendant of famous black agricultural scientist, George Washington Carver. The movie can be watched alone, but also serves as the series finale for The Proud Family series, which can also be streamed now on Disney+. There is actually a revival of the show THE PROUD FAMILY: LOUDER AND PROUDER coming later this year too, so there is no better time than now to get caught up with the Proud family.
Stream Disney+
SOUL hit at just the right time for my son in December. He just got a keyboard for Christmas and his favorite mode on it was, and still is, jazz. So when we watched SOUL, despite some of the larger and headier themes, he was hooked by the music and of course the Pixar brand of humor. Needless to say, we have now watched it more than a few times. One time my son requested to watch it on the TV and then proceeded to grab the ipad and put it on there too, so we were watching it twice at once. But whether you have already seen it or not, it’s a great one to watch for Black History Month, and not just because it has a black protagonist, Joe. Jazz music, which is an intricate part of the film, was born from the blues, an African American-derived music form that recognized the pain of lost love and injustice and gave expression to the victory of outlasting a broken heart and facing down adversity. Jazz music is an important part of Black History and what a joy it is to celebrate it in SOUL.
The final three films in this list portray the realities of racism towards black people. It is scary and it is a sad truth of American history and society. So you may decide these movies may be better viewed by just your older kids, but whenever you and your kids watch them, the history they tell is important.
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REMEMBER THE TITANS is based on the true story of black football coach, Herman Boone, and his attempt to integrate the T.C. Williams High School football team in Alexandria, Virginia in 1971. The film tackles the prejudices and racism faced by the coach, his family, and the black players on his team, so it is obvious to see why this is a great film to watch during Black History Month and beyond. Personally, this is one of my all-time favorite sports movies and not just because it features my favorite locker room sing-along.
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At six years old, Ruby Bridges, became the first African American student to integrate her local New Orleans elementary school. At just six years old she was subject to such ugly racism. She is an American hero and her story is most definitely one I want to know, watch, and share with my family.
Stream Disney+ and Amazon
If you did or even if you didn’t see HIDDEN FIGURES in 2017, now is the perfect time to sit down with your family and be blown away by the amazing black female heroes this movie is about. Katherine Johnson, Mary Jackson, and Dororthy Vaughn and their mathematical intelligence, despite facing racism, segregation, and sexism, were intricate in American success in the Space Race. The movie was nominated for the Oscar for best picture and will be an absolute treat for all when you sit down to watch it.
Now if you want to make your movie night feel more like a trip to the theaters, start your showing with a short film like, HAIR LOVE. This Academy Award winning animated short features a doting African American father as he tries to do his daughter’s hair for the first time. It is the perfect short film to start to any family movie night. You can watch it for free on YouTube or enjoy the book.
There may only be three weeks left in Black History Month and seven great movie night films, but that is on purpose because I believe celebrating black history should be a year long endeavor. And if you are like me and always looking for more resources on talking to your kids about race, check out @theconsciouskid on all social media platforms and their resources page on the website.
Enjoy your movie night!
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