By now, you probably know that February is Black History Month. You probably also know that the library has plenty of books about African American history, but did you know that the library also has a variety films on the topic?

Here is a selection of films, both theatrical and documentary, that you can find in the JMRL catalog:

Slavery by Another Name (2012) PBS Distribution – Challenges one of America’s most cherished assumptions, the belief that slavery in the U.S. ended with Abraham Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation, by telling the harrowing story of how, in the South, a new system of involuntary servitude took its place with shocking force.

Eyes on the Prize (2006) PBS Home Video – The history of the Civil rights movement in America, from the days of the Mississippi bus boycott to 1980’s.

The Abolitionists (2013) WGBH Educational Foundation – Radicals. Agitators. Troublemakers. Liberators. Called many names, the abolitionists tore the nation apart in order to create a more perfect union. Men and women, black and white, Northerners and Southerners, poor and wealthy, these passionate anti-slavery activists fought body and soul in the most important civil rights crusade in American history.

Roots (2007) Warner Home Video  – Chronicles a black man’s search for his heritage and reveals an epic panorama of America’s past.

The Loving Story (2011) Icarus Films – Documentary about the case of Richard & Mildred Loving, a white man & a black woman who were convicted by the state of Virginia for the crime of marrying across racial lines in the late 1950s.

Black Wheels: History of Blacks in Nascar and Other Motor Sports (2005) Razor Digital Entertainment – Showcasing the often overlooked achievements of African Americans in motor sports, this groundbreaking program showcases Black influence from the invention of stock car racing in the 1920’s through today.

DuSable Museum of African American History (2002) Cambridge Educational – This program tours the DuSable Museum of African-American History, and in the process illustrates the black experience in North America.

42: The Jackie Robinson Story (2013) Warner Home Video  – History was made in 1947, when Jackie Robinson broke the professional baseball race barrier to become the first African American MLB player of the modern era. “42” tells the life story of Robinson and his history-making signing with the Brooklyn Dodgers under the guidance of team executive Branch Rickey.