Black History through film

Now that Black History Month is over, I believe it is important to reflect on the lessons we have learnt during this time. One of the many ways I explored this topic was through film. Films are a great way to learn about historical time periods and events as it is very easy to sit back, grab the popcorn and get engrossed in a classic.

Platforms such as Netflix and Disney Plus provide subscribers with a wide range of films based on black history, so these were the best places for me to start looking.

The first film I came across was ‘The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind’. This is a powerful film about a young boy from Malawi who helps to save his village from famine by creating a windmill to provide water in order for the crops to grow. This film breaks away from the generic topic of western society and provides an insight into more contemporary history. According to undp.org, the United Nations Development Programme, the famine in Malawi occurred in 2002, with ‘500 to 1000 people dying of hunger or hunger related diseases in the southern region of the country between January and April’. With this being a relatively modern event, it shows that there are still inequalities between different societies that need to be ironed out. Therefore, this film is definitely up there as one of my favourites to take lessons from.

During lockdown I found myself exploring the new Disney Plus platform for a good film. This is where I stumbled across ‘Remember the Titans’. Having seen this film before and loving it, I decided to watch it again during Black History Month. The film covers a true story about an appointed African American coach and his racially integrated American football team. The team becomes, as Imdb describes, ‘a unifying symbol for the community’. I really like this story as you can see the gradual change in attitudes towards the black community and I am a strong believer in the power that sport has to bring people together despite race, ethnicity, culture etc.

Another important film that should definitely go on your watch list is ‘Selma’. This film takes the viewer through Martin Luther King Jr’s fight for equal voting rights through a march from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama in 1965. As the storyline progresses, the film includes facts and statistics about the real-life event. I strongly feel that this adds to the realism of the film and makes it even better for informing people about a crucial moment in black history. In my opinion, this was the best film that I watched in Black History Month and would strongly recommend it to anyone interested in learning more about Black history.

These are just a handful of films based on Black history and there are many more out there. The advantages of learning history through film are endless as long as you remember that there will be inaccuracies here and there. But amongst the dramatization etc. if you do not have the time to read a 300-page book, then watching a 2-hour film might be more appealing to you.

If this is the case, these films are a great way to introduce you to the topic and then it is completely up to you whether you would like to research more into the event you have watched.

Black history should be more than just a month. It is just as important as any other aspect of history that might be more common knowledge.

Edited by Hannah Youds