Everything to Watch During Black History Month

In honor of Black History month, Disney has pulled together a list of content across their streaming platform and affiliate networks that are available to viewers this February! Let’s take a look: 

Disney+

Image Credit: Disney

Black is King, Described as a visual album,  Beyoncé reimagines the lessons of The Lion King for today’s young kings and queens in search of their own crowns!

The Proud Family, follows the adventures (as well as the misadventures) of Penny, a typical African American girl who’s doing her best to navigate through the early years of teen-dom. 

Doc McStuffins, The Doc is in! Disney Junior’s magical animated series centers on a 6-year-old girl who, with the help of her stuffed animal friends, runs a clinic for toys out of her playhouse.

 Marvel Studios’ Black Panther, This blockbuster film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe tells the story of the king of Wakanda, T’Challa (Chadwick Boseman), who must release the full power of Black Panther in order to save his homeland—and the entire world—from an old foe who puts them all at risk;

Hidden Figures, This award winning film is based on a true story about the inspiring women at NASA who were instrumental in one of history’s greatest operations—the launch of astronaut John Glenn into orbit

Ruby Bridges, This Disney film from 1998 tells the story of 6-year old Ruby who is chosen to be the first African-American to integrate her local elementary school where she encounters the true ugliness of racism for the first time. 

 Soul, Pixar’s latest film is a hilarious, heart-filled adventure that introduces jazz musician Joe, whose one misstep lands him in the fantastical place The Great Before, where he teams up with soul 22 to find the answers to some of life’s biggest questions

The Princess and the Frog, Rediscover this 2009 classic that puts a modern New Orleans style twist on a classic Fairy Tale.  It features a beautiful girl named Tiana who meets a frog prince who desperately wants to be human again.  One fateful kiss leads them on an incredible adventure with some unlikely allies on the Louisiana bayou. 

Jump In!  This movie stars Corbin Bleu as a Brooklyn teenager training to be a boxing champ (his dad’s dream).  However, he’s drawn in by the cool moves involved in Double Dutch and agrees to become the fourth member of his neighbor’s jump rope team.

The Color of Friendship The film tells the story of two girls from very different backgrounds. You’ll meet Mahree, a girl living in apartheid South Africa and Piper the daughter of a congressman.  When the two girls spend a semester together in Washington DC, an unlikely friendship is formed and the girls realize that their perceptions of each other are wrong!

HULU

The United States Vs. Billie Holiday- Making its debut on February 26th, this movie takes a new look at the legendary jazz musician who spent much of her career being adored by fans all over the world.  The action starts in 1940s New York City where Holiday was targeted in a growing effort to escalate and racialize the war on drugs.  As a result they managed to stop her from singing her controversial song “Strange Fruit”.  Oscar-nominated director Lee Daniels is at the helm of this film starring Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter Andra Day. Screenwriter for the film is Suzan-Lori Parks who is the first African American woman to win a Pulitzer Prize for Drama. 

Your Attention Please – A new season of this series that celebrates Black innovators and creators will debut this month. Hear their incredible stories as they work to leave the world a better place than they found it.  The show is hosted by Craig Robinson. 

Hip Hop Uncovered – This documentary series will make its debut on Hulu on February 13th.  The show is from  executive producer Malcolm Spellman and Oscar-® and Emmy®-winning production company Lightbox. Hip Hop Uncovered, is examination of a dying breed of power brokers who operate from the shadows of hip hop. This six part documentary directed by Rashidi Natara Harper, takes a deep dive into the paradox of America’s criminalization of the genre and its fascination with the street culture that created it and still exists within it. What you get is a stunning piece reflecting how America’s streets helped shape hip hop culture as a form of expression of survival and defiance

Also, don’t forget that HULU also boasts some pretty amazing shows from black creators in it’s collection.  Noteworthy programs available to stream now includes: 

• Bad Hair
• Queen Sugar
• black-ish
• Snowfall
• Wu-Tang: An American Saga
• For Life
• Scandal
• Woke
• Fargo
• The Bravest Night

City So Real – Also on Hulu is National Geographic’s stunning documentary City So Real which provides a kaleidoscopic portrait of Chicago as it prepares for the 2019 mayoral campaign. 

Defining Moments With Ozy – This Hulu Original documentary spotlights inspiring and groundbreaking people and their incredible paths to success. 

NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC:

The March on Washington: Keepers of the Dream – Produced by National Geographic in conjunction with The Undefeated this documentary special debuts on February 18th and traces the ongoing journey of the Civil Rights Movement through the eyes of the heroes who marched for justice and equality in the 1960s. 

DISNEY CHANNELS: 

Black History Month Shorts – Disney Channel pays tribute this Black History Month with a series of shorts geared toward kids ages 2-7.  It will launch with the story of Vice President Kamala Harris. The shorts will feature motion graphics and featured paintings by Tyler Gordon.  Follow along with Harris’ journey highlighted by key milestones including a protest she helped organize when she was a child., her college days joining the Divine Nine and becoming the first woman, first Black American and first person of South Asian descent to serve as Vice President of the United States. You’ll find the shorts out now on Disney Channel, Disney Junior and Disney XD. 

In the Nook – Beginning on February 8th, Disney Channel and Disney XD will be enlisting Disney Channel stars to help introduce viewers to notable men and women making history.  Segments include ZOMBIES 2 stars Chandler Kinney and Ariel Martin interviewing 14-year-old painting prodigy Tyler Gordon, from San Jose, California, who overcame early health challenges as well as being bullied because of his stutter, and who now uses his art to help other kids fight against bulling; and Ramon Reed (Just Roll With It) and Christian J. Simon (Sydney to the Max) speaking with 15-year-old Brooklyn chess champion Jessica Hyatt, who is a few ranks away from making history as the first Black woman chess master in the world.

FREEFORM

Young, Black and Freeform – This initiative identifies, celebrates and partners with Black content creators to share their brilliance with the world.  

he network’s new Young, Black and Freeform​ initiative identifies, celebrates and partners with Black content creators who freely, boldly and unapologetically share their brilliance with the world. These honorees were chosen because of their commitment to pushing the multidimension layers of Blackness to the forefront of mainstream media and shaping culture in 2021. 

Honorees will also receive a custom gift box with a custom trophy, custom YBFF sweat suit, and additional premium items from black owned businesses.

Meet these honorees across Freeform’s social media platforms beginning February 1.

ESPN: 

Black History Always – This half hour program will air on January 31 at 8pm ET on ESPN.  Hosted by The Undefeated’s Clinton Yates, Black History Always will use a mix of new productions, music and taped elements to show that sports are always writing Black history and what it means to be game-changing.

OUT NOW: TheUndefeated.com will have downloadable “Black History Always” posters with inspirational quotes by Black athletes such as Allyson Felix, Trae Young, Sloane Stephens and Bubba Wallace. The site also will have original written and video content dedicated to “Black History Always” throughout the month.

The Undefeated Presents: A Room of Our Own – This groundbreaking hour of television explores the relationship Black athletes have to music and its impact in powering social movements.  It will debut on February 28 at 12pm ET. 

First Take – Every month in February, Stephen A. Smith, Max Kellerman and host Molly Qerim Rose, will virtually showcase four Historically Black Colleges and Universities, beginning with Winston-Salem State University—Smith’s alma mater—on February 3. Howard University will be featured on February 10, followed by Morehouse College on February 17 and Jackson State University on February 24. The shows will include special guest appearances by Terrence J and Deion Sanders, debate questions from students for Smith and Kellerman and much more.

Beyond the Whiteboard: SEC Coaches in Conversation – On Monday, February 22 at 8:30 p.m. ET. Six Black women who are head women’s basketball coaches in the SEC—Nikki Fargas (LSU), Nikki McCray-Penson (Mississippi State), Yolett McPhee-McCuin (Ole Miss), Dawn Staley (South Carolina), Joni Taylor (Georgia) and Terri Williams-Flournoy (Auburn)—join Maria Taylor to discuss racial injustice, Black women in leadership on and off the court, the importance of trailblazers in the sport and more. Kentucky interim head coach Kyra Elzy also provides her perspective.

From Trailblazers to What’s Next?  Also on February 22nd, all 15 schools will be represented in this one-hour virtual roundtable. Dalen Cuff hosts the show, which will feature former ACC trailblazers, current coaches or administrators, and current student-athletes.

ABC

IMAGE CREDIT: ABC

To Tell The Truth – Airing TONIGHT! at 8pm ET, Comedian and actor Lil Rel Howery, Actor Adam Rodriguez and comedian Nikki Glaser make up the celebrity panel.  The rockin’ heroes featured in this week’s show include the first African American Rockette, a ghost hunter, a pro Simon Says caller, a professional puppeteer and a custom lowrider builder.

black-ish- There’s an brand new episode airing TONIGHT at 9pm “What About Gary” where Dre (Anthony Anderson) goes against Bow’s (Tracee Ellis Ross) warning and tries to educate her white cousin Gary (played by guest star Rob Huebel) about how to be an ally. Meanwhile, Olivia is trying to impress Junior’s family by attempting to psychoanalyze everyone and their relationships with each other. The following week (February 9th, “First Trap,” sees Bow make history as the first Black female partner at her hospital. This milestone makes Dre feel like he is not supporting the Black community as much as he would like and he tries to convince Stevens & Lido to hire another Black executive

mixed-ish – Following black-ish at 9:30 pm TONIGHT is a new episode “Brand New Funk,” which finds Alicia and Denise bickering over who is the stronger Black woman, and Paul and Harrison come up with a new way of showing affection. Meanwhile, Rainbow is put in charge of Johan and Santamonica and she struggles to maintain control over them. On February 9th on mixed-ish,  Paul surprises the family by inviting one of his students to live with them, and Paul and Alicia compete to be his mentor. Meanwhile, Rainbow has a crush on their new houseguest in an episode titled “On My Own.”

For Life- In the February 3rd episode, “Say His Name,” Aaron takes on the case of an unarmed man shot by a police officer. Safiya represents Ronnie after he’s arrested and roughed up by law enforcement, and the family struggles with whether to have Aaron Jr. baptized. On February 10 (also at 10 p.m. ET/PT), Aaron faces pressure from all sides when he is forced to decide which charges to bring against the officers responsible for the killing of an unarmed civilian. While Safiya pursues video evidence that could change their case, Roswell searches for a way to move the case from Staten Island to a friendlier venue in the episode titled “For The People.”

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