Black history is an essential part of global history, filled with stories of resilience, struggle, triumph, and cultural innovation. While textbooks provide the foundation, film and television bring these stories to life, allowing us to experience history through powerful performances and immersive storytelling.
This curated list of 100 movies and miniseries spans centuries, from the brutal realities of slavery and the fight for freedom to the Civil Rights Movement, Black excellence in sports, education, and innovation, and beyond. Whether based on true events or fictionalized accounts inspired by history, these films and shows highlight the contributions, sacrifices, and perseverance of Black individuals and communities.
From classics like Roots and 12 Years a Slave to modern masterpieces like Judas and the Black Messiah and When They See Us, this list serves as a cinematic syllabus for anyone looking to deepen their understanding of Black history. These are not just films and series—they are lessons in the past, reminders for the present, and inspiration for the future.
Let’s dive in.
Slavery & Antebellum Era
12 Years a Slave – The harrowing true story of Solomon Northup, a free Black man kidnapped and sold into slavery.
Harriet – Chronicles the incredible escape and abolitionist work of Harriet Tubman.
The Birth of a Nation – Dramatizes Nat Turner’s 1831 slave rebellion.
Emperor – Inspired by Shields Green, a real-life enslaved man who joined John Brown’s raid.
Beloved – Based on Margaret Garner, an enslaved woman who escaped but faced tragic consequences.
Uncle Tom’s Cabin – An adaptation of Harriet Beecher Stowe’s novel based on real enslaved people.
Freedom’s Path – A story of a Black man escaping slavery and finding a hidden self-sufficient Black community.
Emancipation – Loosely inspired by “Whipped Peter,” but fictionalized beyond real historical accounts.
Roots (1977, 2016) – The epic saga of Kunta Kinte and his descendants, chronicling their enslavement and fight for freedom across generations.
Underground – A dramatized but fact-based story of enslaved people escaping via the Underground Railroad.
The Book of Negroes – Based on real events, following an enslaved woman’s journey from Africa to the U.S. and later to Canada as part of the Black Loyalists.
A Woman Called Moses – A mini-series starring Cicely Tyson as Harriet Tubman, chronicling her work with the Underground Railroad.
Sankofa – A contemporary African-American woman is transported back in time to experience the horrors of slavery firsthand, leading to a profound personal transformation.
Reconstruction & Racial Violence (Post-Civil War – Early 20th Century)
Glory – Highlights the first Black regiment, the 54th Massachusetts Infantry, during the Civil War.
Buffalo Soldiers – The true story of the first all-Black U.S. Army regiments post-Civil War.
The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman – Fictionalized but based on real freed slaves’ experiences.
Rosewood – A dramatization of the 1923 Rosewood Massacre, where a Black town was destroyed by a white mob.
The Banker – The real-life scheme of two Black entrepreneurs fighting housing discrimination.
The Piano Lesson – A family struggles with their past in a story inspired by August Wilson’s work.
Mudbound – A fictionalized but realistic portrayal of racism in post-WWII America.
A Time to Kill – A courtroom drama addressing racial injustice in the Deep South.
The Long Walk Home – A fictionalized but realistic depiction of the Montgomery Bus Boycott.
Alex Haley’s Queen – The true story of Alex Haley’s grandmother, Queen, who navigated the complexities of race and identity as a mixed-race woman in the post-slavery South.
The Long Song – Follows the life of a formerly enslaved woman in Jamaica during the transition from slavery to freedom.
Self Made: Inspired by the Life of Madam C.J. Walker – A dramatization of the rise of America’s first self-made Black female millionaire.
The Killing Floor – Explores the struggles of an African-American migrant in Chicago who attempts to build an interracial labor union amidst the racial tensions of World War I.
The Civil Rights Movement (1950s-1970s)
Selma – Chronicles Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s Selma to Montgomery marches.
The Vernon Johns Story – The story of the minister who paved the way for Martin Luther King Jr.
Rustin – The overlooked story of Bayard Rustin, organizer of the 1963 March on Washington.
Boycott – Dramatization of the Montgomery Bus Boycott.
Ghosts of Mississippi – Chronicles the trial of Medgar Evers’ assassin.
Mississippi Burning – Dramatizes the FBI investigation into the murder of three civil rights workers.
Ruby Bridges – The true story of 6-year-old Ruby Bridges integrating an all-white school.
The Rosa Parks Story – Highlights Rosa Parks’ life beyond the bus boycott.
The Best of Enemies – Civil rights activist Ann Atwater facing off against the KKK.
Deacons for Defense – The real-life armed Black self-defense group that protected civil rights activists.
Son of the South – Based on the autobiography of Bob Zellner, a white civil rights activist who worked alongside Black leaders in the South.
The Ernest Green Story – The story of Ernest Green, one of the Little Rock Nine who integrated Arkansas schools.
Our Friend, Martin – animated educational film that offers a unique and engaging way to learn about the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
Selma, Lord, Selma – A story told from the perspective of a young girl witnessing the Selma voting rights marches.
King – A mini-series about Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s life and his leadership in the Civil Rights Movement.
The Watsons Go to Birmingham – A family travels to Birmingham during the 1963 church bombing that killed four Black girls.
Black Power & Social Justice (1970s-Present)
Talk to Me – Radio host Petey Greene’s impact on race relations in Washington, D.C.
Burden – Based on the true story of a former KKK member who turned against the group with the help of a Black pastor.
Panther – A dramatized portrayal of the rise of the Black Panther Party, directed by Mario Van Peebles, capturing the movement’s impact and clashes with law enforcement in the 1960s.
Get on the Bus – Follows a group of Black men on their journey to the Million Man March, inspired by real experiences.
Judas and the Black Messiah – The FBI’s assassination of Black Panther leader Fred Hampton.
One Night in Miami – A fictionalized retelling of a real-life meeting between Malcolm X, Muhammad Ali, Sam Cooke, and Jim Brown.
When They See Us – The true story of the five Black and Latino teenagers wrongfully convicted in the Central Park jogger case.
The Atlanta Child Murders – Based on the real-life case of dozens of Black children who went missing in Atlanta in the late 1970s and early 1980s.
Black Excellence in Education, Law & Medicine
Marshall – Chronicles one of Thurgood Marshall’s first major legal battles.
The Great Debaters – Follows the real-life Wiley College debate team that challenged Harvard.
Miss Evers’ Boys – Exposes the horrors of the Tuskegee Syphilis Experiment.
Something the Lord Made – The untold story of Dr. Vivien Thomas, a Black cardiac surgery pioneer.
Hidden Figures – The untold story of three Black women at NASA.
Miss Virginia – Based on Virginia Walden Ford, a single mother who fought for school choice to provide a better education for Black children in Washington, D.C.
Gifted Hands: The Ben Carson Story – Chronicles the inspiring journey of Dr. Ben Carson from a troubled youth to a world-renowned neurosurgeon.
Modern Civil Rights & Social Justice (1980s-Present)
Just Mercy – Bryan Stevenson’s fight for wrongfully convicted death row inmates.
Fruitvale Station – The police killing of Oscar Grant.
American Violet – A Texas mother fights back against racial profiling.
Crown Heights – A man’s decades-long fight against wrongful conviction.
The Trial of the Chicago 7 – Bobby Seale and the 1968 protests.
Detroit – Loosely based on the 1967 Detroit riots but largely dramatized.
Sports & Innovation
42 – Jackie Robinson’s historic breaking of Major League Baseball’s color barrier.
The Express – The first Black Heisman Trophy winner, Ernie Davis.
Pride – The real-life story of a Black swim team breaking racial barriers.
Ali – The struggles and triumphs of boxing legend Muhammad Ali.
Chevalier – The rise of Joseph Bologne, a Black composer in 18th-century France.
Remember the Titans – The inspiring true story of Coach Herman Boone, who led the newly integrated T.C. Williams High School football team in 1971 despite racial tensions.
Lean on Me – Joe Clark’s fight to fix a failing school.
Race – Depicts the life of Jesse Owens and his historic achievements at the 1936 Berlin Olympics, challenging racial prejudices on an international stage.
Life of a King – A reformed felon uses chess to save kids from gangs.
From the Rough – The first woman to coach a men’s college golf team.
The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks – The woman whose cells changed medicine forever.
Brian’s Song – The true story of Gale Sayers and Brian Piccolo, whose friendship transcended racial barriers in the NFL.
The Jesse Owens Story – A biopic on Jesse Owens’ record-breaking Olympic achievements in Nazi Germany.
King Richard – The father behind Venus and Serena Williams’ tennis success.
Big George Foreman – The faith-driven comeback of heavyweight champion George Foreman.
Brian Banks – The story of a high school football star wrongfully imprisoned.
The Greenbook – Inspired by the true story of a tour of the Deep South by African American classical and jazz pianist Don Shirley and Italian American bouncer Frank “Tony Lip” Vallelonga who served as Shirley’s driver and bodyguard.
Dolemite Is My Name – The true story of comedian-turned-filmmaker Rudy Ray Moore.
Black History in War & Military
Six Triple Eight – Tells the true story of the 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion, an all-Black, all-female unit that boosted morale by sorting mail for U.S. troops during World War II while facing racism and sexism.
Red Tails – The heroics of the Tuskegee Airmen in WWII.
Devotion – The true story of Jesse Brown, the first Black aviator in U.S. Navy history, and his bond with his white wingman during the Korean War.
Buffalo Soldiers – The story of the first Black cavalry regiments in the U.S. Army.
Men of Honor – The first Black master diver in the U.S. Navy, Carl Brashear.
The Tuskegee Airmen – The story of America’s first Black fighter pilots.
Da 5 Bloods – A Vietnam War story about Black veterans returning to recover lost treasure and confront the past.
Home of the Brave – The story of one of the first Black soldiers to fight in World War II.
Bonus Fictionalized Stories Inspired by Black History
The Woman King – Inspired by the real-life female warriors of Dahomey.
Bamboozled – A satirical take on Black representation in media, directed by Spike Lee.
Hollywood Shuffle – A comedy-drama about Black actors facing stereotypes in the film industry.
The Five Heartbeats – A fictionalized R&B group’s rise to fame, inspired by real-life music groups.
School Daze – A Spike Lee film exploring colorism and identity at a fictional HBCU.
Crooklyn – A coming-of-age film loosely based on Spike Lee’s childhood.
The Spook Who Sat by the Door – A fictionalized but politically charged story about a Black CIA agent turned revolutionary.
Passing – A fictionalized story of two light-skinned Black women navigating identity and race in the early 1900s.
The Harder They Fall – A revisionist Western with real-life Black historical figures but a fictionalized story.
Black Panther – Though a superhero film, it incorporates themes of Afrofuturism, colonialism, and Black empowerment.
Lovecraft Country – A mix of historical fiction, horror, and Afrofuturism, the series follows a Black family in 1950s Jim Crow America as they encounter supernatural forces and real-life horrors like racism, sundown towns, and the Tuskegee Experiments.
The Hate U Give – Based on the novel by Angie Thomas, it portrays a young Black woman who witnesses the police shooting of her best friend, sparking her activism against systemic racism.
Django Unchained – A revenge-driven reimagining of slavery in the American South.
Kindred – A modern woman is mysteriously transported back to the era of slavery.
The Birthright – A silent film that tells a fictionalized story of a Black man fighting systemic racism post-slavery.