10 Movies to Stream in Honor of Juneteenth
Juneteenth, also known as Freedom Day, Emancipation Day, Jubilee Day, Black Independence Day, or Cel-Liberation Day, is an annual holiday celebrated on June 19 in the United States. To celebrate, we’ve rounded up the 10 best films to watch in honor of the national holiday, including pics with or by Spike Lee, Ryan Coogler, Shaka King, Chadwick Boseman, Shameik Moore, Denzel Washington, Danny Glover, and many more.
Juneteenth commemorates the emancipation of enslaved African Americans and marks the day when Union General Gordon Granger arrived in Galveston, Texas, in 1865 and announced that all slaves were free. This announcement occurred more than two years after President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation. The holiday holds significant historical and cultural importance as it represents the final realization of freedom for enslaved individuals in the United States.
Juneteenth serves as a reminder of the struggles and resilience of African Americans throughout history. It is a time for reflection, education, and celebration of Black heritage, achievements, and contributions to society.
Over the years, it has also become an opportunity to engage in discussions about racial equality, social justice, and ongoing efforts to combat systemic racism. Here are a few of the many excellent films and documentaries worth checking out in honor of Juneteenth.
Civil War (Or Who We Think We Are)
This Peacock documentary features how Americans from the North and the South tell the story of the Civil War. Teachers, students, Confederate buffs, and state politicians are all interviewed as the doc delves into the abyss dividing Americans in terms of what we think we know about our own history, how much that consensus differs by region, self-selection, and heritage, and how that division is reflected in modern America today. (Stream on Peacock.)
Civil: Ben Crump
This 1 hour and 41 minute Netflix documentary offers an intimate vérité look following the life of maverick civil rights attorney Ben Crump. Crump, also known as “Black America’s attorney general,” pulls back the curtain on his life as a family man and civil rights leader. In particular, it showcases Crump taking on the civil cases for George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and Andre Hill. (Stream on Netflix.)
Judas and the Black Messiah
Judas and the Black Messiah features the true story of William O’Neal (LaKeith Stanfield) infiltrating the Black Panther Party to gather intelligence on Chairman Fred Hampton (Daniel Kaluuya). It’s a great example of how we’re sometimes used to take us down. It’s also a political message from director Shaka King to highlight how these tactics are still being used, even more so, in the information age. (Stream on Max and Tubi.)
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Miss Juneteenth
A former beauty queen (Nicole Beharie) and single mom prepare her rebellious teenage daughter (Alexis Chikaeze) for the “Miss Juneteenth” pageant. It showcases hows the mom is trying to live vicariously through her child, but also how much the real-life beauty competition is a celebration of sisterhood and how its celebration offers liberty to be oneself instead of attempting to fit in a box. Lastly, although it tackles several themes, it never makes grandiose statements, instead opting for authenticity. (Stream on Netflix.)
The Color Purple (1995)
The Color Purple, directed by Steven Spielberg and based on Alice Walker’s novel, is a timeless masterpiece. This poignant coming-of-age drama follows Celie, a young African-American woman living in the Southern United States, as she endures the hardships of patriarchal abuse and relentless racial discrimination. Throughout her life spanning four decades, Celie finds solace and discovers her self-worth with the unwavering support of her two closest friends. The film features Whoopi Goldberg in her debut role alongside Danny Glover, Oprah Winfrey, and Margaret Avery. Although the film adaptation softened a lot of the lesbian themes of the original source material, it still garnered a remarkable eleven Academy Award nominations, including nods for Best Picture, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Actress (Goldberg), Best Supporting Actress (Winfrey), and Best Supporting Actress (Avery). (Stream on Tubi; 2023 remake streaming on Max.)
Black Panther
There hasn’t been a movie that galvanized audiences with such positivity and enthusiasm since 2017’s Black Panther. It followed the fictional leader and superhero for the technologically advanced African nation of Wakanda. Since its titular lead Chadwick Boseman‘s sudden and tragic passing, the movie has garnered another layer of celebration, as the actor will forever be known as the original King T’Challa that introduced mainstream audiences to this world. (Stream on Disney+.
Do The Right Thing
Do The Right Thing is an examination of the racial tensions of the ’80s as it culminates into a race riot in a Brooklyn neighborhood on a hot summer’s day. Roger Ebert lauded it for coming “closer to reflecting the current state of race relations in America than any other movie of our time,” and unfortunately, it has withstood the test of time. Many of the feelings, actions, and mentalities have carried over into the modern day, and the ending’s open-ended question of whether Mookie “do the right thing” remains poignant. (Available for VOD rental or purchase.)
Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse
Although he’s celebrated much more today, it took a long time for fans to accept Miles Morales as the new Spider-Man (despite many clones and female counterparts having already taken up the mantle). So after countless stories through comics, cartoons, and video games, when he finally got the limelight, his story in Into The Spider-Verse is all about acceptance. But more than that, it’s about staking your claim and embracing yourself. It’s just as much of a coming-of-age story for the new generation as it is a cultural reaffirmation that anyone can be Spider-Man, even if they aren’t a white guy from Queens named Peter. (Available for VOD rental or purchase.)
The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman
The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman is a thought-provoking exploration of the racial disparities experienced by African Americans from the 1850s to the 1960s. Despite its title, based on the novel of the same name, the film presents a fictional narrative that authentically captures the Black experience during that time. Recognized as the first made-for-TV movie to portray African-American characters with depth, the story revolves around Jane Pittman, a former slave woman who shares her remarkable life story on the eve of her 110th birthday. The captivating performance by Academy Award-nominated actress Cicely Tyson brings Jane’s journey to freedom to life as she recounts it in a special interview with a local journalist. Directed by Academy Award winner John Korty, the film also showcases notable performances by Richard Dysart and Odetta. (Stream on Crackle, Peacock, Plex, Pluto TV, the Roku Channel, Sling TV, and Tubi.)
Malcolm X
A tribute to the “controversial” black activist and leader of the struggle for black liberation. He hit bottom during his imprisonment in the ’50s; he became a Black Muslim and then a leader in the Nation of Islam. His assassination in 1965 left a legacy of self-determination and racial pride. This is one of the most powerful autobiographic films of all time, with a career-defining performance from Denzel Washington. It is director Spike Lee‘s magnum opus and is laced with so much complex nuance that we couldn’t begin to delve into them in such a short summary. (Stream on Tubi.)
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