Discover Black films and books selected by Digital Content Contributor and senior Radio/TV/Film major Jabreeah Holmes of Camden County. A film student and fan, Jabreeah shares her recommendations with Rowan students.
I love watching movies, no matter what genre. The movies and books on this list deal with trauma, historical heroes, racism, laughter, empowerment and so much more.
Books
- “Coldest Winter Ever” by Sister Souljah
A rebellious daughter tries to survive on her own
- “Becoming” by Michelle Obama
The memoir of former United States First Lady Michelle Obama
- “The Color Purple” by Alice Walker
A story of a life of trauma but overcoming it
- “I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings” by Maya Angelou
Autobiography of Maya Angelou
- “Dancing in the Wings” by Debbie Allen
A story of a young Black girl trying to follow her dreams
- “True to the Game” by Teri Woods
Finding love in the hard streets of Philadelphia
- “PUSH” by Sapphire
Follows a resilient teenager surviving a life of trauma
- “The Hate You Give” by Angie Thomas
A Black teenage girl witnesses her friend get killed by a police officer and has to decide if she should keep quiet or use her voice.
- “The Autobiography of Malcolm X” by Malcolm X & Alex Haley
A series of in-depth interviews between Malcolm X and Alex Haley.
- “I Can’t Make This Up” by Kevin Hart
Travel down memory lane with Kevin Hart.
Movies
- “Dope”
The life of three students trying to overcome stereotypes
- “Moonlight”
Chiron’s journey to manhood
- “Antwone Fisher”
A story of a black sailor trying to find answers to his past.
- “The Birth of a Nation”
Nat Turner’s “quest for justice and freedom that leads to a violent and historic rebellion in Southampton County.”
- “American Skin”
A father seeks justice when police kill his unarmed son.
- “Just Mercy”
The fate of an African American male in the judicial system in Alabama in 1987.
- “Fences”
Troy Maxson lives in the past, affecting his loved ones.
- “Mudbound”
Fighting battles of prejudice in the Jim Crow South
- “One Night in Miami”
Four influential men are imagined together for one night during the Civil Rights movement.
- “Selma”
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and his followers march from Selma to Montgomery, Ala. for the right to vote for African Americans.
Like what you see?
Story by:
Jabreeah Holmes, senior radio/TV/film major
Header photo courtesy of:
Pexels