February is Black History Month and with the pandemic, it is a great time to watch some movies that are very significant to Black History Month. These are some of the best movies to watch that either have made history for their film or tell a story of a significant figure in history.

10. “Soul” (2020)

Set in the hustle and bustle of New York City, one middle school band teacher’s life will change forever. Joe Gardner (Jamie Foxx) lands the gig of his life where he gets to play jazz with Dorthea Williams (Angela Bassett). However, his dreams are left unfulfilled when one wrong step in the street will take Joe into the afterlife. As Joe tries to avoid the “Great Beyond,” he ends up in the “Great Before” where he must mentor soul 22 (Tina Fey) in hopes of returning to Earth before he misses his performance. This is the first Pixar film to have a black lead.

9. “Black Panther” (2018)

Visit the amazing world of Wakanda in this spectacular film where T’Challa (Chadwick Boseman) takes the mantle of Black Panther and becomes king of Wakanda. Things go array for the new king when Eric Killmonger (Michael B. Jordan) shows up to challenge T’Challa for the throne.

8. “Princess and the Frog” (2009)

A waitress, Tiana (Anika Noni Rose), is desperate to own her own restaurant in New Orleans. Her journey will take a turn when she meets a frog prince (Bruno Campos) and kisses him to turn him back into a prince, but she turns into a frog. They must work together to both be set free of the curse. Throughout this film, Tiana shows that anyone can be anything they want.

7. “Remember The Titans” (2000)

This film focuses on a football team that is forced to racially integrate causing tension on and off the field. The team is led by a newly hired Black football coach (Denzel Washington) who is told if he loses a single game, he will be fired. However, before he can focus on beating another football team, he must unite his team.

6. “Woodlawn” (2015)

Taking place right after the government mandated desegregation in 1973, Tony Nathan (Caleb Castille) attends Woodlawn High School in Birmingham, Alabama. This causes anger and violence to course throughout the city. Woodlawn’s football coach (Nic Bishop) allows for an inspirational speaker, Hank (Sean Astin), to speak to the team. Hank preaches on the hope and love through Christ which unites the team and inspires them to overcome the hate of the community under one truth.

5. “Glory” (1989)

During the civil war, Colonel Robert Gould Shaw (Matthew Broderick) leads the first all-Black volunteer company to serve in the war. Throughout the war, while fighting against the Confederates, they must also fight against the prejudice of the fellow companies of the Union Army.

4. “Just Mercy” (2019)

Bryan Stevenson (Michael B. Jordan) goes to Alabama to try and save Walter McMillian (Jamie Foxx) who has been wrongly convicted of muder and sentenced to death. Throughout the next few years of fighting for McMillian, Stevenson encounters a lot of hate and racism toward him for trying to do the right thing.

3. “42” (2013)

In the aftermath of World War II, soldiers of color who had fought facism overseas now had to fight against racism in their own country. Branch Rickey (Harrison Ford), the president of the Brooklyn Dodgers, would not stand for racism anymore. He wanted to sign the first African American to a Major League Baseball team. Jackie Robinson (Chadwick Boseman) dawned the number 42 and forever changed the world of baseball, one home run at a time.

2. “Harriet” (2019)

“Harriet”, directed by Kasi Lemmons, is an extraordinary film about the incredible Harriet ‘Minty’ Tubman’s (Cynthia Ervio) escape from slavery and her journey to becoming one of America’s greatest heroes. When Harriet gets to Philadelphia, William Still (Leslie Odom Jr.) and Marie Buchanon (Janelle Monáe) help Harriet start a life that is free from oppression. Despite protests from William and Marie, Harriet goes back to bring the rest of her family out of the opression of slavery, becoming a conductor on The Underground Railroad. The film will show the audience the dangers that Harriet faced while bringing her people into freedom from their oppressors.

1. “Hidden Figures” (2016)

Katherine Jackson (Taraji P. Henson), Dorothy Vaughan (Octavia Spencer), and Mary Jackson (Janelle Monáe) are three brilliant African American scientists working for NASA during a time of segregation. They will have to overcome racism from their fellow scientists in NASA to prove themselves every step of the way. They work together to get astronaut John Gleen (Glen Powell) into space while restoring the nation’s confidence in the Space Race and showing that anyone can do anything they put their mind to. Henson’s performance will bring the audience to tears showing the pain and suffering that people of color went through everyday in the workplace.

These films, and many more, show the importance of Black History Month by featuring people who made changes in the world and broke the standard of movies by casting and directing choices focusing on cultures that have very little representation in the film world.