Sunshine Noel
Staff Writer
In honor of Black History Month and in celebration of history, creativity and excellence, some movies deserve special recognition during this special month.
So hit the couch with some of your favorite people, or alone if you prefer and tune in to some of these oldies that are goodies.
Keep in mind, these are in no particular order. All of these movies are equally worth seeing.
Hidden Figures
The movie tells the story of three African-American women who played crucial roles in NASA’s space race during the 1960’s.
Yes, you read that right. NASA, in the 1960’s! A time where both the rights of black people and women were not completely equal.
The main characters include Taraji P. Henson, Octavia Spencer, and Janelle Monae. I encourage everyone to see this.
Malcolm X
This movie tells the story of the legendary black activist and leader and how his life led up to him becoming a strong center of self-determination and racial pride for African-American communities.
Denzel Washington plays the role of Malcolm X, so you know it’s worth seeing!
Selma
This powerful picture is about the fight against racial inequality for African-Americans in the south, even after laws were passed to desegregate.
Although legally the south had been desegregated, it didn’t stop discrimination and people making it harder for African-Americans to register to vote.
Led by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., hundreds marched from Selma, Ala. to Montgomery, Ala. hoping for a change. This movie chronicles this hard, dangerous journey.
Fruitvale Station
Based on the true story of a man who once made mistakes but got onto a path of trying to do the right thing, Michael B. Jordan takes on the role of Oscar Grant. The movie is graphic and hard to see for some but is the harsh reality of the society we live in.
Grant, after spending the day with his family and friends watching fireworks on New Year’s Eve, is swept into an altercation with police on his way home that ultimately ends in tragedy.
12 Years a Slave
A powerful story about Solomon Northup, a free African-American man from upstate New York who was kidnapped and sold into slavery for 12 years in the south. The story was created from the memoirs of Solomon Northup himself.
Get Out
This thriller makes the list of must-see movies during Black History Month for its creative way of expressing a serious message.
Directed by Jordan Peele, it tells the story of a black man dating a white woman and them choosing to take things a step further.
When the main character, Chris is introduced to his girlfriend Rose’s family, he first reads their over-accommodating behavior as them just trying to make a good impression. He soon finds out, there is a lot more going on than what meets the eye.
13th
This movie si for the documentary lovers out there. It explores how slavery has still been systematically placed into everyday life through prison systems and focuses on how prisons are disproportionately filled with African-Americans in the United States. Directed by Ava DuVernay, you can find “13th” on Netflix.
The Color of Friendship
If you are looking for a movie that is kid-friendly, but also powerful, this movie is one of many.
It tells the story of a South African girl, Mahree Bok, who comes from a wealthy family— and also, happens to be white, coming to America to study abroad.
When she arrives at her expected family’s house, it is a shock to all of them. Piper Dellums, a young black girl excited about meeting someone from the motherland does not know how to deal with the shock in the beginning. Both girls go through the experience of eliminating the assumptions they may have had about each other’s culture, and ultimately become great friends.
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