Black History Month: Films to Stream About Systemic Racism, Climate Justice, and More

Every February, people around the U.S. and Canada observe Black History Month, a month-long celebration of the Black changemakers who have shaped history.

If you'd like to learn more about Black history, the Black experience, racism, and other related topics, this month is the perfect time to add some relevant documentaries and movies to your queue.

There are even a few environmental documentaries out there that focus on environmental racism against Black communities, which we made sure to include on this list.

So, keep reading for just a few recommendations of powerful documentaries, dramatic films, and even one comedy that you can watch for Black History Month — or anytime, all year round.

They're Trying to Kill Us is a documentary that explores how systemic racism has caused American communities of color to experience higher rates of certain illnesses. The film looks at elements like food justice, racial justice, and environmental justice, and includes commentary from notable vegan celebrities like Tabitha Brown, Preacher Lawson, and Pinky Cole.

You can stream They're Trying to Kill Us on Tubi, YouTube TV, or the Roku Channel, or rent it on Apple TV.

In 2016, iconic film director Ava DuVernay released the documentary 13th, named for the 13th Amendment, which abolished slavery. However, the film essentially shows the viewer how slavery is not truly abolished in the U.S., but rather how it was rebranded into the modern-day prison system, which is rife with racial inequality.

You can stream the award-winning 13th with a Netflix subscription, or for free on Netflix's YouTube channel in its entirety.

Based on the 2017 novel by Angie Thomas, the powerful 2018 feature film The Hate U Give stars actress Amandla Stenberg as Starr Carter, a teenager who witnesses a police officer murder her best friend. The killing leads to members of the town protesting police violence and racial injustice, and Starr finds herself at the center of it all.

You can rent The Hate U Give on Hulu on Amazon Prime Video or Apple TV for $3.99.

The 2019 documentary There's Something in the Water, which actor Elliot Page narrated, co-directed, and funded, gives viewers a look into environmental racism in Nova Scotia, Canada. There, Page and his co-director Ian Daniel spoke with locals and activists about how trash dumps and other hazardous sites built near Indigenous communities and Black communities are hurting and killing people.

You can watch There's Something in the Water free with a Tubi or YouTube TV Premium subscription; it's also available to rent on Amazon Prime Video for $0.99.

The National Geographic limited series Genius: MLK/X examines the parallel lives and work of two Civil Rights leaders, Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. (Kelvin Harrison Jr) and Malcolm X (Aaron Pierre).

Genius: MLX/X premiered on Feb. 1, 2024, on ABC, and all episodes are become available to watch with a Disney Plus or Hulu subscription.

The documentary Mossville: When Great Trees Fall tells the story of the Louisiana town of Mossville, which was founded in the late 18th century by a man after he was freed from enslavement, as per The New York Times. For centuries, Mossville has been a mostly Black community.

However, the construction petrochemical plants nearby began putting locals in grave danger. These toxic plants allegedly caused cancer in many residents, killed many people, and uprooted many locals from their homes. The story told in Mossville: When Great Trees Fall is a sickening example of environmental racism in the U.S.

You can rent Mossville: When Great Trees Fall on Amazon Prime Video for $4.99, or stream it with an Apple TV subscription.

Released in 2021, Judas and the Black Messiah is a feature film that tells the story of Black Panther Party activist Fred Hampton (played by Daniel Kaluuya) and how he was betrayed by FBI informant Bill O'Neal (played by LaKeith Stanfield) — something that ultimately led to Hampton's assassination.

You can rent Judas and the Black Messiah on Amazon Prime Video or YouTube.

Based on The New York Times long-form journalism project of the same name, The 1619 Project is a documentary miniseries hosted by project creator and Pulitzer Prize winning journalist Nikole Hannah-Jones. The docuseries re-contextualizes the national origin story of the United States of America via the arrival of the first slave ship to the American colonies.

You can watch all episodes of The 1619 Project with a Hulu subscription.

The 2021 documentary Summer of Soul (...Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised) is about the 1969 Harlem Cultural festival, which lasted six weekends at Mount Morris Park (now Marcus Garvey Park) in Harlem, New York. Not only did the film win six Academy Awards, including Best Documentary, it is Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson's directorial debut.

You can watch Summer of Soul with a subscription to Hulu or Disney Plus.

The documentary Racist Trees, which premiered on PBS in January 2024, investigates the racial divide in Palm Springs, Calif. The film shows how a row of invasive trees planted by the city in the 1950s isolated a historically Black neighborhood from the city.

You can watch Racist Trees on PBS.

This article, originally published on Feb. 2, 2023, has been updated.