If I asked you why February is an important month, Valentines Day may come to mind, or maybe a friend or family member’s birthday. While these events are great and do make February special, the second month of the year holds a deeper meaning for black citizens across America. February is Black History Month. It’s important to acknowledge this and learn about black history, especially if you’re not black yourself. If you’re not sure how to honor black history this month and educate yourself, I’ve compiled a list of movies to help you. Some are informative documentaries, and some are fictional stories with a focus on black characters.

Hidden Figures is the first movie on my list. Released in 2016, this movie focuses on the true story of three black women who work at NASA, and were behind the great launch of astronaut John Glenn into orbit. It tells the story of how these three influential women worked at NASA in the 1960s, and the racism they faced along the way.

Moonlight is the second movie on my list. This Oscar-winning film, directed by Barry Jenkins, tells the story of a young, gay black man and his struggles. It’s not a true story, but the main character’s experiences ring true for an abundance of the black youth in America. This movie won Best Picture at the Oscars in 2017, and definitely serves as a good movie to educate yourself on the struggles young black people face.

The next movie on my list is a Netflix Original documentary called 13th. This documentary was directed by Ava DuVernay and aims to shed light on the racial inequality that is embedded in our justice system. It tells how after the 13th amendment, which abolished slavery, those same racist values were implanted into the way we convict black criminals compared to other races. It will definitely open your eyes to how normalized racism is in our justice system, and how there needs to be immediate change.

Those three movies are only a few examples of the great movies in the film industry that focus on black stories. If you’re simply looking to support black people in the film industry instead of directly educating yourself, you can try other movies like Black Panther, Us, or Get Out. If you’re looking to further your knowledge on black history, you may want to try movies like The Hate U Give, I Am Not Your Negro, or 12 Years a Slave. I highly encourage you to check out at least a couple of the movies I listed to honor Black History Month. It’s important to educate yourself about things you may not understand or experience so you can empathize as best as possible and support black people everywhere.