Shows for Kids

• Bookmarks: Celebrating Black Voices on Netflix with Marley Dias: Highlights important books by Black authors and features them read aloud

• Motown Magic on Netflix: Motown Magic, executive produced by Smokey Robinson features a diverse cast of characters, each episode inspired by classic Motown song — the series follows an 8-year-old African American boy named Ben as he uses a magic paintbrush (and his imagination) to bring colorful street art to life in his city

• Arthur on Racism: Talk, Listen, and Act | Arthur Videos | PBS KIDS

• Arthur Takes a Stand, featuring John Lewis 

Movies for All Ages

• Hidden Figures: Set in the 1960s, this film is based on the true story of three mathematicians — Katherine Johnson, Dorothy Vaughan, and Mary Jackson — who overcame race and gender-based obstacles to become key NASA figures.

• 42: The Jackie Robinson Story: Chronicles the story of Jackie Robinson, the first African-American to play in Major League Baseball.

• The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind: Based on the true story of William Kamkwamba, this film follows a 13-year-old boy as he comes up with an ingenious way to save his Malawi village from famine. 

• Remember the Titans: Set in 1971 Virginia, this movie is based on the true story of high school football coach Herman Boone, and the way he teaches his players to come together on and off the field. 

• Queen of Katwe: This biographical drama is set in the slum of Katwe in Kampala, Uganda, telling the story of 10-year-old Phiona Mutesi, whose life is changed forever after a visiting missionary teaches her how to play chess. 

• Akeelah and the Bee: 11-year-old Akeelah is a spelling enthusiast who competes in the Scripps National Spelling Bee. Through the pressure she faces to the racism she encounters, Akeelah keeps her eye on the prize.

• Ruby Bridges: Follows the story of Ruby Bridges, the first African-American to integrate her local elementary school, and is subjected to the ugliness of racism.

• Over the Moon: Fueled by memories of her mother, an adventurous Chinese girl builds a rocket ship to meet a mythical goddess on the moon.

• Wish Dragon: Set in Shanghai, Din is a teen looking to reconnect with his childhood best friend through the help of a magical wish-granting dragon.

Movies For Older Kids

Links to the Common Sense Media page with details for parents

• Becoming: (9+) Follow Michelle Obama as she travels the country for her book tour of the same name.

• Linsanity: (9+) A documentary film about the rise of Asian-American basketball player Jeremy Lin.

• Harriet: (13+) Chronicles Harriet Tubman's story and her courage to lead slaves to freedom through the Underground Railroad.

• The Hate U Give: (13+) With a highly relevant story in today’s times, this movie is about how a community deals with a white polite officer killing an unarmed black teenager and the aftermath that ensues.

• See You Yesterday: (15+) Two teens create a time machine in an attempt to stop one of their brothers from being killed by police in this film by Spike Lee.

• If Beale Street Could Talk: (15+) Set in 1970s Harlem, this adaptation of James Baldwin’s love story deals with themes of oppression and police bias.

• Mudbound: (16+) Two families—one Black, one white— manage their uneasy friendship as they deal with graphic racial violence in 1940s Mississippi. 

Questions to Spark Conversation

• What issues did the Black characters face in this film? 

• What was the response of the other character(s) to the main conflict?

• How did the experiences in the film make you feel?

• What would you do if you experienced or witnessed a similar situation?