Top Family-Friendly Black History Movies to Watch This Month
Celebrate Black History Month with these family-friendly movies, perfect for homeschool learning and educational family movie nights!
Black history is rich with stories of courage, faith, perseverance, and hope - and film can be a powerful way for families to learn together. This month, I’ve gathered some of the best family-friendly Black history movies that introduce children and teens to influential figures, important moments, and everyday lives, all while keeping content appropriate for the family. I also included a couple of modern-day films, like Akeelah and the Bee.
Every family has their own standards, so I always recommend previewing movies or checking content reviews for anything unfamiliar. For your convenience, I’ve linked a content guide in each review for as many of the movies below as possible.
If you love learning history through film, be sure to explore my other homeschool-friendly lists, including American History Movies for Kids, 20+ Historical Movies for Preteen Girls and Preteen Boys, and 50+ Historical Movies and TV Shows for Teen Girls.
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Quick note: Most movies blend fact with fiction, so while they’re fun and educational, not every detail is 100% historically accurate.
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Animated Hero Classics: Harriet Tubman 1997 | TV-Y7 (Ages 7+)
This 25 minute episode traces Harriet Tubman’s journey from slavery to freedom, showing how she escapes north via the Underground Railroad and then repeatedly risks her life by returning south to lead her family and hundreds of others to safety. Recommended for ages 7+, but may be suitable for younger audiences. CONTENT GUIDE: IMDb
📺 Click here to watch for free on Internet Archive
Torchlighters: The Harriet Tubman Story 2013 | NR (Ages 8+)
This episode follows Harriet Tubman as she escapes slavery and, guided by her deep faith and courage, repeatedly returns to the South to help lead other enslaved people to freedom on the Underground Railroad. CONTENT GUIDE: IMDb
📺 Click here to watch on Amazon Prime Video (with FREE Yippee Kids TV trial)
Dear America: A Picture of Freedom 1999 | TV-Y7 (Ages 7+)
This 30 minute episode based on one of the “Dear America” books is about a young enslaved girl on a Southern plantation before the Civil War who secretly learns to read and write despite the danger, and uses her courage and growing literacy to help and inspire others in her community. CONTENT GUIDE: IMDb
📺 Click here to watch on Amazon Prime Video (it is episode 3)
An American Girl Story - Melody 1963: Love Has to Win 2016 | TV-PG (Ages 7+)
Young Melody struggles against racial segregation in Detroit while learning the importance of standing up for justice, friendship, and hope during the civil rights movement. CONTENT GUIDE: Common Sense Media
📺 Click here to watch on YouTube
Polly 1989 | G (Ages 5+)
A spunky young orphan arrives in a small Alabama town in the 1950s, where her joyful spirit and optimism help break down divisions in a segregated community and soften even her stern aunt’s heart as she brings people together through song and hope. This is a delightful musical the whole family can enjoy! Loosely based on Eleanor H. Porter’s children’s book, Pollyanna.
📺 Click here to watch on YouTube
POlly Comin’ Home 1990 | G (Ages 5+)
After recovering from her injury, Polly returns to her hometown where, through music and optimism, she helps her aunt, an orphanage in need, and a divided community navigate challenges around leadership, harmony, and racial understanding during a tense election year. This is the sequel to Polly, mentioned above.
📺 Click here to watch on YouTube (it isn’t the best quality, but I’m afraid it’s all I could find!)
The Jackie Robinson Story 1950 | Not Rated (Ages 10+)
The true story of Jackie Robinson chronicles his trailblazing journey as the first African-American Major League Baseball player, facing racism and adversity while breaking baseball’s color barrier with courage and determination. Stars Jackie Robinson as himself! CONTENT GUIDE: Common Sense Media
📺 Click here to watch on Amazon Prime Video
Ruby Bridges 1998 | PG (Ages 12+)
This film tells the true story of six-year-old Ruby, who bravely becomes the first African American child to integrate an all-white elementary school in New Orleans, facing hostility and fear with courage and dignity. CONTENT GUIDE: Common Sense Media and IMDb
📺 Click here to watch on Amazon Prime Video
Sounder 1972 | G (Ages 12+)
During the Great Depression in rural Louisiana, a young African‑American boy and his close‑knit sharecropping family struggle with poverty and racial injustice after his father is imprisoned for stealing food, leading him on a journey that deepens his resilience, hope, and understanding of himself and his family’s strength. CONTENT GUIDE: Common Sense Media and IMDb
📺 Click here to watch on Amazon Prime Video
Akeelah and the Bee 2006 | PG (Ages 12+)
A bright and determined girl from South Los Angeles overcomes self-doubt, family pressures, and social obstacles to compete in the National Spelling Bee, discovering her own potential and the power of community along the way. CONTENT GUIDE: Kids-in-Mind, Christian Answers, and Parent Previews
📺 Click here to watch on Amazon Prime Video
The Watsons Go To Birmingham 2013 | PG (Ages 12+)
An African-American family from Michigan takes a road trip to Birmingham, Alabama in 1963, where the children confront the realities of racism and violence during the civil rights movement while learning courage, faith, and the strength of family bonds. CONTENT GUIDE: Dove, Common Sense Media, and Movieguide
📺 Click here to watch on Amazon Prime Video
Hidden Figures 2016 | PG (Ages 12+)
This is the true story of three African-American women - Katherine Johnson, Dorothy Vaughan, and Mary Jackson - whose brilliant work as mathematicians at NASA was crucial to the success of the early U.S. space program. Set in the 1960s, the film follows their struggles against racial and gender discrimination while helping to launch astronaut John Glenn into orbit. CONTENT GUIDE: IMDb and Kids-in-Mind
📺 Click here to watch on Amazon Prime Video
Remember the Titans 2000 | PG (Ages 12+)
A newly integrated high school football team in 1970s Virginia must overcome racial tensions and personal differences, as players and coaches learn teamwork, respect, and the power of unity both on and off the field. CONTENT GUIDE: Christian Answers, Kids-in-Mind, and Dove (⚠️ Please be sure to check out a content guide for this one).
📺 Click here to watch on Amazon Prime Video
The Earnest Green Story 1993 | TV-PG (Ages 12+)
Based on a true story, a determined Arkansas teenager faces threats, isolation, and national attention as he becomes one of the first Black students to integrate Little Rock Central High School in the 1950s. CONTENT GUIDE: IMDb
📺 Click here to watch on YouTube
Gifted Hands: The Ben Carson Story 2009 | Not Rated (Ages 13+)
Rising from a broken home and poverty, young Ben Carson overcomes obstacles through faith, determination, and intellect, ultimately becoming a world-renowned neurosurgeon while inspiring others with his perseverance and compassion. CONTENT GUIDE: Movieguide, Parent Previews, and IMDb
📺 Click here to watch on Amazon Prime Video
Driving Miss Daisy 1989 | PG (Ages 13+)
An elderly widow forms an unlikely but deep friendship with her African-American chauffeur over several decades, as they navigate aging, societal change, and the evolving racial and cultural landscape of the American South. CONTENT GUIDE: IMDb, Common Sense Media, and Movieguide
📺 Click here to watch on Amazon Prime Video
Sarah’s Oil 2025 | PG (Ages 13+)
A young African‑American girl in early‑1900s Oklahoma defies expectations by believing there’s oil beneath her seemingly worthless land, and through grit, faith, and partnership she helps unlock its wealth and becomes one of the nation’s first Black female millionaires while fighting off those who would exploit her fortune. CONTENT GUIDE: Kids-in-Mind, Parent Previews, Plugged In
📺 Click here to watch on Amazon Prime Video
Belle 2013 | PG (Ages 13+)
The illegitimate daughter of a British admiral in 18th-century England confronts racism and rigid social hierarchies while advocating for the abolition of slavery and asserting her place in society. CONTENT GUIDE: Kids-in-Mind and Parent Previews
📺 Click here to watch on Amazon Prime Video
Black history is filled with so many powerful stories to share, and movies can be a meaningful way for families to learn together.
I hope this list helps you find thoughtful, family-friendly films to watch this month and beyond.
If you have a favorite Black history movie I missed, let me know in the comments below - I’d love to hear your recommendations! Be sure to explore my other homeschool-friendly movie lists linked below, and don’t forget to join my email list so you never miss a new post (located at the bottom of this page).
