In celebration of Black History Month, several television networks and streaming platforms will highlight creatives of color with a series of current and upcoming content throughout the month. The films, shows, documentaries, and specials included will honor the Black experience, and although these of the collections will be pushed to the forefront for February, many of the titles are available for consumption throughout the entire year.
To start the month of February off right, Disney+ will be adding new sets to their existing “Celebrate Black Stories” collection and introducing the “Black History” collection, which takes a look into the powerful history of Black artists, athletes, and creators across film, music, culture and beyond. The titles coming to the platform include Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, as well as all episodes of The Proud Family: Louder & Prouder Season 2.
Long-standing networks such as BET has a lineup of Black History month programming on its schedule as well, including thought-provoking docuseries, returning hits, dynamic specials, and more. NBCUniversal’s Peacock streaming service will honor Black artistry with an array of original series, including the premiere of Bel-Air Season 2. The new documentary Lowndes County and the Road to Black Power drops at the beginning of the month, and films like American Gangster, Antwone Fisher, Belly, Crooklyn, If Beale Street Could Talk, and Stomp The Yard will also be featured.
Take a look at the programs to watch in celebration of Black History Month.
In celebration of Black History Month, the new one-hour ABC primetime special Soul of a Nation Presents: Black in Vegas will honor past and present Black entertainers ruling the historic Las Vegas strip. The special includes interviews with entertainers past and present from Ne-Yo and Usher to comedians George Wallace and Luenell to Anna Bailey, the first Black Vegas showgirl, as well as never-before-seen video and an interview with Sammy Davis Jr. about performing in Las Vegas. Soul of a Nation Presents: Black in Vegas airs Wednesday, Feb. 1 on ABC, next day on Hulu.
BET and Culture House will present 28 one-minute interstitials to air daily on BET called BLACK ICONS – Past, Present, Future. Each interstitial will feature a current HBCU student paying tribute to one icon’s achievements. Intercut with footage of the student on location and supporting archival material of the featured icon, the interstitials underscore themes of legacy and lineage that connect generations. People such as Alvin Ailey, Barack Obama, Ida B. Wells, Lauryn Hill, and more, will all be honored.
From Emmy Award-winning Executive Producer Stanley Nelson and Firelight Films, comes the groundbreaking BET original franchise, Black + Iconic celebrates Black cultural icons, pioneers, and activists and their impact, influence and legacies in fashion, music, film, and dance. Black + Iconic examines the momentous achievements of Black people across various fields while celebrating the power of Black cultural innovators. Emmy, Tony, and Grammy Award-winning and Golden Globe-nominated actor, singer, director, producer and activist Billy Porter to narrate, host, and serve as executive producer for the doc.
BET and CBS News monthly prime-time newsmagazine, America In Black, features a mix of original long-form investigative reports, one-on-one newsmaker interviews, human interest stories, and exclusive in-depth celebrity profiles. Each original one-hour episode of America In Black will go beyond the headlines to illuminate and elevate the leading issues, stories, and people impacting Black America. From hip-hop on trial to the banning of Black history in schools across the nation to original celebrity profiles and interviews, each edition of America In Black will deliver original, high-quality storytelling and ambitious journalism with a unique and distinct POV. Gayle King, Vladimir Duthiers, Marc Lamont Hill, Ed Gordon – who is returning to the Network after an 18-year hiatus – and more, will all serve as reporters.
Starting February 1, to celebrate Black History Month, Disney+ will be adding new sets to their existing “Celebrate Black Stories” collection and introducing the “Black History” collection. The new “Black History” collection will dig deeper into the powerful history of Black artists, athletes, and creators across film, music, culture and beyond. Titles coming to the platform include Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, and Season 2 of, The Proud Family: Louder & Prouder.
Globally recognized as one of the most distinguished multicultural award shows, the “54th NAACP Image Awards” will continue a tradition of excellence, and uplifting values that inspire equality, justice, and progressive change, while highlighting artists committed to that purpose. This year’s ceremony airs live on Saturday, February 25 at 8:00 PM ET/PT.
The Africa Channel today unveiled a portion of its Black History Month line-up fueled by the theme of Black Ambition, Excellence and Identity. Heading the line-up will be a much-anticipated sneak peek of the channel’s new original reality series African Royale which follows one Nigerian heiress’ journey as she navigates a life and career while carving out an identity as both an African and an American in Black America. African Royale debuts with a World Premiere Sneak Peek Monday, January 30 at 9:00pm/ET, new episodes of The Rising airs throughout BHM Tuesdays and Thursdays at 8:00pm/ET and Sundays at 7:00pm/ET, and The History of Africa began last month, and airs Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays at 10:00pm/ET and Saturdays and Sundays at 8:00pm/ET.
NBCUniversal’s Peacock streaming service will honor Black History Month with an array of original series, including the premiere of Bel-Air season 2. Movies like American Gangster, Antwone Fisher, Belly, Crooklyn, If Beale Street Could Talk, and Stomp The Yard will also be featured. New documentary Lowndes County and the Road to Black Power will drop at the beginning of the month, as well.
HBO Max will feature films, documentaries, biopics, original programming, and animation that focus on the Black voices. Watch celebrated documentaries like A Choice of Weapons: Inspired By Gordon Parks, Say Hey, Willie Mays!, Milestone Generations, Tina and original programming options like Abbott Elementary, Rap Sh!t, Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty, Random Acts of Flyness, South Side, and A Black Lady Sketch Show. On February 1, the streamer will highlight the American Black Film Festival (ABFF) shorts, including HBO Short Film Award winner: Another Country, along with finalists Talk Black, The Family Meeting, and Pens & Pencils.
Hulu offers a collection of content that runs the gamut from scripted series, reality shows, music documentaries, and original movies. The 1619 Project is one of many projects exploring the Black experience on the platform and it’s joined by other original docs like Grails: When Sneakers Change the Game and The Hair Tales. The streamer’s large array of offerings also feature original films like Andscape’s Three Ways, and mainstays on the platform, including The Hate You Give and How Stella Got Her Groove Back, thought-provoking programs like FX series Atlanta, Snowfall, and Kindred, Hulu original series Wu-Tang: An American Saga, sitcoms like Abbott Elementary, Living Single, and 2 Dope Queens, and more.
