Black History Month—Watch, read and listen
To celebrate Black History Month, we've put together a list of books, TV series, films, albums and podcasts for you. From books on racial justice and queer identity, to films set during the Civil Rights Movement and Jim Crow America, we hope you enjoy watching, reading, listening and learning this year and beyond.
WATCH
Films:
Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom (2020)
During a recording session, tensions rise between Ma Rainey, her ambitious horn player and the white management determined to control the uncontrollable "Mother of the Blues".
One Night in Miami (2020)
A fictional account of one incredible night where icons Muhammad Ali, Malcolm X, Sam Cooke, and Jim Brown gathered discussing their roles in the Civil Rights Movement and cultural upheaval of the 60s.
Sylvie’s Love (2020)
When a young woman meets an aspiring saxophonist in her father's record shop in 1950s Harlem, their love ignites a sweeping romance that transcends changing times, geography, and professional success.
TV Shows:
Black AF (2020)
Kenya Barris and his family navigate relationships, race and culture while grappling with their newfound success in this comedy series.
Lovecraft Country (2020)
Atticus Black joins his friend Letitia and his Uncle George to embark on a road trip across 1950s Jim Crow America in search of his missing father.
Twenties (2020)
Hattie, a queer African American woman, hangs out with her two straight best friends, as they all try to make their dreams come true.
READ
Austin Channing Brown, I’m Still Here: Black Dignity in a World Made for Whiteness (2018)
From a powerful new voice on racial justice, an eye-opening account of growing up Black, Christian, and female in middle-class white America.
Bryan Washington, Lot: Stories (2019)
In the city of Houston - a sprawling, diverse microcosm of America - the son of a black mother and a Latino father is coming of age. He's working at his family's restaurant, weathering his brother's blows, resenting his older sister's absence. And discovering he likes boys.
Jasmine Mans, Black Girl, Call Home (launching March 2021)
From spoken word poet Jasmine Mans comes an unforgettable poetry collection about race, feminism, and queer identity. Mans writes to call herself—and us—home. Each poem explores what it means to be a daughter of Newark, and America—and the painful, joyous path to adulthood as a young, queer Black woman. Black Girl, Call Home is a love letter to the wandering Black girl and a vital companion to any woman on a journey to find truth, belonging, and healing.
LISTEN
Albums:
For Broken Ears by Tems (2020)
Available on Spotify and other streaming platforms.
Made in Lagos by WizKid (2020)
Available on Spotify and other streaming platforms.
Last Year Was Weird, Vol. 2 by Tkay Maidza (2020)
Available on Spotify and other streaming platforms.
Lost in June by Pip Millet (2020)
Available on Spotify and other streaming platforms.
Podcasts:
That’s Not How That Works
An exploration of diversity, inclusion, and equity and how these things show up, (or don’t) in our personal and professional communities.
Busy Being Black
The podcast exploring how we live in the fullness of our queer Black lives.
Small Doses with Amanda Seales
A weekly podcast that brings you potent truths for everyday use.