This cold and dreary month in the Mabelhood we find ourselves watching films with our kids. So this year we’ve committed to watching films by Black filmmakers, actors, and creators. Some of these are great stories honoring Black culture and historical significance, others are beautiful love stories, action/ adventure and award-winning feature films. We encourage you to check out our list, we promise you won’t be disappointed!

Plus, all of these selections are perfect to watch alongside your kids. We’ve included the rating for you to use at your discretion, but know that these are all movies that you and your kids can enjoy together to spark meaningful conversations. So worry less about he rating and more about the important topics these films can raise.

The hate u give

Rated PG 13
“Starr Carter navigates the perilous waters between her poor, black neighborhood and her prestigious, mainly white private school. This all changes when she finds herself in the middle of racial activism after her best friend is shot by police officers, and she’s forced to make a decision. Allow the media to skewer her friend to protect the status quo, or stand up and tell the truth”

Adapted from the YA novel this film is now a movie you can watch on Disney+. This is not your typical coming-of-age story, it’s far more. It’s a story about a complicated culture-clash that a young woman must navigate. This film is marvelous and we highly encourage you to give it a watch!

Black Panther

Rated: PG13
“King T’Challa returns home to the isolated, technologically advanced African nation of Wakanda to serve as new leader. However, T’Challa soon finds that he is challenged for the throne from divisions within his own country. When two enemies conspire to destroy Wakanda, the hero known as Black Panther must join forces with C.I.A. agent Everett K. Ross and members of the Wakandan Special Forces, to prevent Wakanda from being drawn into a world war”

Akeelah and The Bee

Rated: PG
“Akeelah Anderson has an unusual gift to spell words. Encouraged by her teacher and arm-twisted by her principal the eleven-year-old enters and wins her East Los Angeles school’s first spelling bee and qualifies for National Spelling Bee”

Spider-Man. Into the Spider-Verse

Rated: PG.
“Miles Morales becomes the masked superhero of his reality and crosses paths with his counterparts from other dimensions to stop a threat to all reality”. The sequel is expected to be release in October 2022! Any Spider-Man fan will watch this gem!

Hidden Figures

Rated: PG
“As the United States raced against Russia to put a man in space, NASA found untapped talent in a group of African-American female mathematicians that served as the brains behind one of the greatest operations in U.S. history”

This movie is the perfect time to start a conversation with your kids. It lends itself not only to racial injustice, but also gender inequalities, and also a history lesson about the space-race!

These films are from the ones we selected, as they’re easily found on most streaming services. If you’re looking for more, pay a you to visit your local library where they’d be happy to offer up an really extensive selection of films they carry.

Wondering what to discuss?

When watching any film or TV make sure you look for and point out and discuss racist stereotypes and attitudes. Discuss the uniqueness of the black experience. Start young, with the conversation being age appropriate, like fairness and point out racism as unfair and unacceptable. For older kids and teenagers, you can refer here for more tips on talking to your kids about social activism.

The post Five Films by Black Creators to Watch With Your Kids appeared first on The Mabelhood.

If you’re ready to talk about social justice in general, or about specific issues that may be relevant to your child or your family, here are a few resources to help.

Books and Guides

Something Happened in Our Town: A Child’s Story About Racial Injustice. This book, by Marianne Celano, is a gateway to helping children understand difficult issues like discrimination and entitlement, while also teaching compassion and tolerance. It’s a New York Times Bestseller and a National Parenting Product award-winner.

Embracerace.org’s 20 Readings to Embrace Race, Provide Solace & Do Good. A wonderful round-up of children’s books designed to help parents and teachers explain racialized violence and manage the big feelings and emotions that can result from what kids’ are seeing on the news. While you’re there, check out embracerace.org’s additional resources, including webinars.

This printable, downloadable Black Lives Matter colouring book features 30+ pages of facts and illustrations on important topics like tolerance, Black families, and diversity.

The Barefoot Books World Atlas is an atlas for the twenty-first century, showing how all parts of the planet and its people are connected. It features warm illustrations and a host of additional, fun features including a pull-out map, flaps, and information on climate, weather, wildlife and natural resources.

Rebekah Gienapp is an author, educator and community organizer whose website features several resources for talking to kids about race including her list of 15 Picture Books about Social Justice and Human Rights and her free Growing Kid Activists guide.

Activities and Lesson Plans

Education World’s 10 Social Justice Activities for Students to try at home or in the classroom. What can peeling lemons, drawing portraits and dissecting advertisements teach us about social justice? Find out in these varied and fun activities aimed at highlighting the discovery of difference and reinforcing the importance of looking after each other.

Rebekah Gienapp’s 7 ideas for social justice lesson plans. Gienapp has compiled seven lesson plans to teach young students about social justice issues using music, literature, civics, history and more.

The Alberta Teacher’s Association website hosts a wide variety of videos and interactives and other teaching and informational resources on the history of Canada’s residential school system and the Truth and Reconciliation Commission.  

The Canadian Museum of Human Rights’ education program called ‘Be an Upstander’ helps provide older kids, teenagers and adults with some of the tools, information and inspiration they need to advocate for human rights in different areas of life including  education, migrant work, and anti-bullying. Use this website to learn about the role of the United Nations, read national and international case studies, and start charting the best course forward towards human rights advocacy.

Videos

What better way to jump into a discussion about social justice than by watching 22-year old Amanda Gorman’s inauguration poem “The Hill We Climb”? Gorman herself called it ‘a message of hope, unity, and healing.’ Then check out the Library of Congress’s additional resources on understanding and discussing her work.

Activist, Writer, Poet and Performer Staceyann Chin’shas a YouTube channel dedicated to sharing life, parenting and love lessons through conversations with her daughter Zuri. Staceyann and Zuri talk about everything from the amazingness of Black girls, to anti-smoking and Santa Claus.

YouTuber Ash Hardell shares the ABCs of LGBTQ in her video series aimed at demystifying some of the topics around sexuality and identity that parents and educators may be hesitant to tackle, including pronouns, gender, and being non-binary. While not age-appropriate for all children, parents themselves may benefit from watching Ash’s friendly, straightforward approach to the topic of sexuality.  

What are universal human rights? Benedetta Berti’s short Ted Ed video explains the basis of modern human rights law, what these rights mean, and how, despite so many legal protections, some people’s rights are continually and egregiously violated every day around the world. Avoiding complicated legal jargon, Berti also explains why such violations matter and why they can be difficult to punish.

Podcasts and Social Media

The Great Horizons Parenting Podcast is geared to parents of children ages infant to 8 and aims to separate fact from fiction while giving parents the confidence they need to parent effectively. Episode #26 is available on YouTube and titled Important Conversations About Social Justice for Kids. This episode in particular helps parents tackle the big questions of racism and social justice with their young children in practical, developmentally appropriate ways.

@theconsciouskid – The Conscious Kid is a research, education and policy organization dedicated to promoting healthy racial identity development in youth. Visit their website, and social media feeds for information on how to talk to kids about race, age-appropriate education resources, key terms in racial literacy, support for racial trauma and other race-related issues.

@teachandtransform – Anti-racist/anti-bias educator Liz Kleinrock’s Instagram account is one-stop shop for current, informative, classroom-appropriate resources dedicated to social justice issues including Asian-American violence, the history of policing and more.

@itgetsbetter – It Gets Better is a non-profit organization determined to help uplift, empower and connect LGBTQ+ youth around the world. Check out their social media and website for education resources, inspirational quotes from famous LGBTQ+ people, and tips on safety, self-care and much more.

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