In February 1926, historian Dr. Carter G. Woodson created Negro History Week to make one thing clear: Black history deserved to be seen, studied, and remembered. A hundred years later, that single week has grown into Black History Month and in 2026, its centennial arrives at a time when history is not just read, but watched.
Streaming platforms now hold a living archive. These documentaries do not simply teach the past; they explain the present. They show how laws, protests, art, and identity connect across generations; civil rights marches, modern activism, African independence movements and cultural revolutions.
Here are some of the most important documentaries to watch this Black History Month, whether you are in the United States, the UK, or anywhere across Africa.
13TH (Ava DuVernay, 2016)
Source: 13TH | FULL FEATURE | Netflix
DuVernay examines the 13th Amendment and the criminal justice system, arguing that mass incarceration (the unique way the U.S. imprisons a higher percentage of its Black population than any other nation) became a continuation of racial control after slavery. The film is clear, urgent, and deeply unsettling and it explains why conversations about policing and race still dominate American society today.
Where to watch: Netflix (globally)
Runtime: 100 minutes
Eyes on the Prize (Prod. Henry Hampton,1987–1990)
Source: Watch Eyes on the Prize | American Experience | Official Site | PBS
This landmark series remains the definitive chronicle of the Civil Rights Movement. Through original footage and first-hand accounts, viewers witness school desegregation battles, bus boycotts, marches, and organizing efforts led not just by famous leaders but by ordinary citizens.
It does not feel like a lecture. It feels like you are there.
Where to watch: PBS Passport, library services (U.S.); selected collections and VOD platforms internationally
Runtime: Multi-part series
The Black Panthers: Vanguard of the Revolution (Dir. Stanley Nelson, 2015)
Source: Watch The Black Panthers: Vanguard of the Revolution | Netflix
The Black Panther Party is often remembered only for weapons and confrontation. This film complicates that image. It shows their community programs, especially free breakfast initiatives for children, alongside their political radicalism.
The documentary replaces myth with context, and context with humanity.
Where to watch: PBS, Amazon Prime, Apple TV (availability varies by region)
Runtime: 116 minutes
Whose Streets? (Dir. Sabaah Folayan, 2017)
Source: Whose Streets? – Official Trailer
A modern chapter in the same story. Told by activists themselves, the film documents the Ferguson protests after the killing of Michael Brown. Rather than analyzing from a distance, the camera lives inside the movement. In homes, on streets, and in organizing meetings.
It makes clear that civil rights history did not end in the 1960s.
Where to watch: Roku Channel, Apple TV, and digital rentals
Runtime: 103 minutes
I Am Not Your Negro (Dir. Raoul Peck, 2016)
Source : I Am Not Your Negro – Official Trailer
Using James Baldwin’s unfinished manuscript, Remember This House, the film reflects on the lives and assassinations of Medgar Evers, Malcolm X, and Martin Luther King Jr. Baldwin’s words, sharp, prophetic, and painfully relevant, turn the documentary into more than biography. It becomes a meditation on race, media, and American identity.
Many viewers finish it feeling as if Baldwin is speaking directly to today.
Where to watch: Prime Video, Apple TV
Runtime: 93 minutes
Toni Morrison: The Pieces I Am (Dir. Timothy Greenfield-Sanders, 2019)
Source: Toni Morrison: The Pieces I Am – Official Trailer
The film explores how Toni Morrison reshaped literature by centering Black voices, especially Black women’s experiences, in stories that had long excluded them.
It is less about celebrity and more about cultural power, how storytelling itself can restore memory.
Where to watch: Netflix, Kanopy
Runtime: 120 minutes
The Death and Life of Marsha P. Johnson (Dir. David France, 2017)
Source: The Death and Life of Marsha P. Johnson (Trailer)
This documentary investigates the mysterious death of a Black transgender activist who helped spark the Stonewall uprising. It expands Black history beyond traditional narratives, highlighting individuals often overlooked even within social movements.
Where to watch: Netflix
Runtime: 105 minutes
Concerning Violence (Dir. Göran Olsson, 2014)
Source: Concerning Violence (2014) – IMDb
Narrated by Lauryn Hill, the film uses archival footage and Frantz Fanon’s writings to explore African anti-colonial struggles. It powerfully connects African independence movements to the Black liberation struggle in the United States, showing that they were never separate stories.
Where to watch: MUBI, AMC+, and select platforms
Runtime: 85 minutes
Why These Films Matter Now
Dr. Woodson believed history was a tool for liberation. These documentaries prove why. They reveal patterns of protest, followed by progress, then backlash, then new resistance. They show that Black history is not confined to one country or era. It stretches from colonial Africa to modern cities, from literature to law, from streets to classrooms.
Watching them is more than remembrance. It is context.
How to Watch in the U.S. and Africa
In the U.S.
Public Libraries: Use Kanopy or Hoopla. These apps are free with a library card and host many high-quality documentaries (like Eyes on the Prize) that are otherwise expensive to rent.
Education: Most Netflix documentaries (like 13TH) have “Educational Screening” rights, allowing teachers to show them in classrooms.
In Africa (Nigeria, Kenya, South Africa, etc.)
Global Platforms: Netflix Africa and Apple TV are the most reliable sources for the titles listed.
Regional Services: Check Showmax for documentaries focusing on local African leaders and Pan-African movements.
VOD: If a title is region-locked, Google Play or YouTube Movies often offer rental options for the African continent.
Reference:
- https://funtimesmagazine.com/100-years-of-negro-history-week-how-carter-g-woodsons-1926-vision-changed-the-world/
- 13TH | FULL FEATURE | Netflix
- Watch Eyes on the Prize | American Experience | Official Site | PBS
- Concerning Violence (2014) – IMDb
- Watch The Death and Life of Marsha P. Johnson | Netflix Official Site
- Toni Morrison: The Pieces I Am – Official Trailer
- 2014 Ferguson unrest | Political Science | Research Starters.
- Watch The Black Panthers: Vanguard of the Revolution | Netflix
