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17 items

• Ray

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  Jamie Foxx stars as Ray Charles. Here, Charles' rise to fame is documented, showing his humble beginnings in Florida, the loss of his vision, and his decorated music career. Overcoming substance abuse and racism, Charles' life inspires. Foxx earned…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Harriet

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  Harriet Tubman, born a slave, dedicated her life to freeing other enslaved people. Her involvement in the Underground Railroad and later as a spy for the Union Army led to the freedom of hundreds of formerly-enslaved people. In this biopic, Cynthia…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• 42

  the Jackie Robinson Story

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  Chadwick Boseman plays Jackie Robinson in 42. Chronicled is Robinson's journey to break the color barrier in Major League Baseball. Dodgers executive Branch Rickey, who advocated for Robinson to play in the big leagues, is portrayed by Harrison…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Respect

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  Jennifer Hudson stars as the legendary Aretha Franklin. Respect focuses on the early years of Franklin's career, from dealing with the loss of her mother and an abusive husband/manager through becoming an international superstar. The vocals, led by…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• King Richard

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  King Richard tells the story of Richard Williams, father to tennis superstars Venus and Serena. Focusing on their early lives, the movie shows how the patriarch Williams cultivates the athletic talent in his daughters on the public courts in Compton…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Hidden Figures

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  Before the supercomputers of the Digital Age, NASA relied on a team of "human computers" to process the complex mathematics needed to get Americans into space. Hidden Figures focuses on the team at Langley Research Center, who are separated by race…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Selma

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  Director Ava DuVernay brings to audiences the story of the 1965 march from Selma, Alabama to the state capital in Montgomery where civil rights leaders protested unjust voting laws. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., fresh from receiving the Nobel Peace…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• The Woman King

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  The Woman King is a fictionalized story about the Agojie, an all-female unit of warriors that protected the kingdom of Dahomey in West Africa in the 17th through 19th centuries. Viola Davis stars at the group's leader, General Nanisca, as she leads…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Straight Outta Compton

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  Straight Outta Compton portrays the rise and fall of California-based rap group N.W.A. The 5 members use music to vent their frustrations about growing up in tough neighborhoods and the mistreatment of Black people by police, about whom the group…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• What's Love Got to Do With It

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  What's Love Got to Do With It chronicles Tina Turner's life and career. Born in Tennessee, a move to St. Louis leads to an encounter with Ike Tuner that changes her life forever. Churning out hits like "Proud Mary" and "River Deep - Mountain High,"…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Malcolm X

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  Denzel Washington stars as Malcolm X in Spike Lee's dramatization of the life of the civil rights leader. Despite overcoming racial prejudices from his teachers in Michigan, Malcom X ends up getting involved in crime. An encounter with the Nation of…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Bessie

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  Queen Latifah stars as Bessie Smith. Bessie chronicles her life from a struggling singer from Chattanooga into becoming "the Empress of Blues." Critically acclaimed, Bessie won the Emmy Award for Outstanding TV Movie.

• 12 Years a Slave

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  Solomon Northup, born a freeman, was captured and forced into slavery in 1841. Twelve years later, he secures his release and pens a memoir detailing the dozen years he was kidnapped and forced into slavery in Louisiana. This film by Steve McQueen…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Loving

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  In 1967, the U.S. Supreme Court issued a landmark ruling, Loving v. Virginia. This is the story behind the court case. Mildred and Richard Loving lived in a rural Virginia community that had long been integrated despite its location in the South.…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Blackkklansman

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  A team led by Spike Lee and Jordan Peele bring to the screen the story of Ron Stallworth. Hired as the first Black officer in the Colorado Springs Police Department, Stallworth eventually infiltrates the Ku Klux Klan by posing as a white man over…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Introducing Dorothy Dandridge

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  Dorothy Dandridge was a talented singer and actress. As a Black woman, she was confined to performing at the great Black venues of Harlem like the Cotton Club and Apollo Theater. In 1954, she starred in Carmen Jones, a role that saw her become the…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• The Great Debaters

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  Inspired by true events, The Great Debaters is the story of Melvin B. Tolson and the Wiley College debate team. Facing discrimination, the debate students at the historically Black Wiley College compete toe-to-toe with the best college debate teams…Read moreRead more of this annotation