4 Things to Watch This Month in Celebration of Black History

February marks the annual celebration of Black History in the United States, and Kanopy has many great films to mark the occasion. From baseball and the black church, to Zora Neale Hurston, Lena Horne, and Nina Simone, you’ll find something engaging and enlightening to watch on our streaming video service Kanopy. All you need is a valid Westfield library card, and you’re ready to go!

After Jackie (2022, 1hr 26min)

The film tells the story of the second wave of Black baseball players after Jackie Robinson – such as Bill White, Curt Flood and Bob Gibson – who were up next in the fight for equality. After Jackie honors these brave men – many whose stories are unknown – who put their lives on the line to integrate baseball and demand a fairer, more inclusive America for African American athletes around the world.

Watch on Kanopy

Details

Director: Andre Gaines
Studio: The History® Channel
Genres: Race & Class Studies, Social Sciences, Health, North American Studies, Global Studies & Languages, Sports and Fitness, Documentaries, Ethnicity & Identity, Health & Wellness, Historical Perspectives

The Black Church: This Is Our Story, This Is Our Song (2021, 3hr 39min)

Trace the history of the Black Church in America. From enslavement to today, the series explores key events shaping an institution at the heart of African American communities on the frontlines of hope and change.

Watch on Kanopy

Details

• Director(s): Christopher Bryson, Shayla Harris, Stacey L. Holman
• Features: Henry Louis Gates, Jr.
• Studio: PBS
• Genres: Race & Class Studies, Social Sciences, Documentaries, TV Series, Movies, Historical Perspectives

How It Feels to Be Free (2021, 1hr 53min)

How It Feels to Be Free takes an unprecedented look at the intersection of African American women artists, politics and entertainment and tells the story of how six trailblazing performers—Lena Horne, Abbey Lincoln, Diahann Carroll, Nina Simone, Cicely Tyson and Pam Grier— changed American culture through their films, fashion, music and politics.

Watch on Kanopy

• Director: Yoruba Richen
• Features: Halle Berry, Cicely Tyson, Alicia Keys, Pam Grier, Lena Waithe, Diahann Carroll, Lena Horne, Abbey Lincoln, Nina Simone
• Studio: PBS
• Genres: Race & Class Studies, Social Sciences, Media Studies, Media & Communications, Performing Arts, The Arts, Film Studies, Music, Fashion, History – Modern, North American Studies, Global Studies & Languages, Sociology, Gender Studies, Documentaries, Ethnicity & Identity, Media & Popular Culture, Women & Society, Art & Artists, Historical Perspectives

Zora Neale Hurston: Claiming a Space (2023, 1hr 53min)

Zora Neale Hurston has long been considered a literary giant of the Harlem Renaissance, but her anthropological and ethnographic endeavors were equally important and impactful. This is an in-depth biography of the influential author whose groundbreaking anthropological work would challenge assumptions about race, gender and cultural superiority that had long defined the field in the 19th century.

Watch on Kanopy

Details

• Director: Tracy Heather Strain
• Features: Vanessa Williams
• Studio: PBS
• Genres: Race & Class Studies, Social Sciences, Literature, The Arts, Anthropology, Documentaries, Ethnicity & Identity, Women & Society, Art & Artists