The Houston Defender, a Word in Black partner, has compiled a list of documentaries based on the roots of African American culture. From “I Am Not Your Negro” to “High on the Hog,” each film tells the origin stories of some of our country’s most influential activists, artists, athletes, and traditions.

By BlackPressUSA

Written by The Houston Defense in Black

The October Special Episode of The AFRO is all about the origins of our culture, our familial history, and the resurgence of traditional values. The Houston Defender, a Word in Black partner, has compiled a list of documentaries based on the history of African American culture that you can discover below. Each movie, from High on the Hog to I Am Not Your Negro, tells the beginnings of our most significant activists, artists, athletes, and customs.

#10: Attica (2021)

In September 1971, Attica Prison became the site of one of the largest prison riots in US history, occurring just weeks after revolutionary activist George Jackson was murdered by Rikers Island prison guards, an act that sparked the birth of Black August and the prison reform movement. The context was created by the constant cruelty and inhumane treatment meted out to the incarcerated (who were overwhelmingly Black and Latinx) by Attica guards (all White). The riot and its aftermath are issues that all humans should be forced to confront.

#9: Quincy (2018)

It doesn’t matter when you were born, what generation you belong to, or where you come from if you’re Black. Quincy Jones’ genius has had an impact on you. Quincy Jones’ genius has had an impact on all of us. The music he created, the albums he produced, the artists he mentored, the films he scored, and the zillion other things Jones accomplished mean that, as I’ve already stated, if you’re Black, Quincy has had a hand in your life. Don’t take my word for it. What Black person do you know who isn’t a Michael Jackson fan, hasn’t seen The Wiz, or has a family member who loves jazz? Quincy Jones was involved in all of this and much more.

This documentary, directed by one of his daughters, actress Rashida Jones, is a must-see.

#8: Four Little Girls (1997)

On September 15, 1963, just 18 days after the widely publicised March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, the 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Ala., was bombed by four members of a Ku Klux Klan-affiliated racist group. Addie Mae Collins, Denise McNair, Carole Robertson, and Cynthia Wesley, four African American girls aged 11 to 14, who had been attending the church’s Sunday school, were killed in the blast, an act of White domestic terrorism that served as a horrific and sober reminder that Dr. King’s “I Have a Dream” speech was not enough to end the myth of White supremacy’s hold on so many. Spike Lee tells this powerfully compelling and important story in the way that only he can.

#7: The Two Killings of Sam Cooke (2019) 

For generations born after the Baby Boomers, it’s difficult to comprehend how big of a star Sam Cooke was. Consider the greatest singer of any era. That was Sam Cooke back in the day. Cooke was not only hyper-talented, but he also had personal friendships with some of the biggest names in Black history (Muhammad Ali and Malcolm X, to name a few). He was also a strong supporter of the Civil Rights Movement and a proponent of Black self-determination and ownership.

Cooke even pulled a “Prince” long before Prince, gaining ownership of his own music, which was as uncommon back then as it is today. This documentary follows Cooke’s life, rise to fame, and eventual demise, though his influence lives on.

#6: Thunder Soul (2010)

Here’s one from my hometown. Thunder Soul celebrates the extraordinary alumni of Houston’s storied Kashmere High School Stage Band, which was led by the legendary Conrad Johnson. After 35 years, these alums return home to perform a tribute concert for the 92-year-old ‘Prof,’ their beloved band leader who transformed the school’s struggling jazz band into a world-class funk powerhouse in the early 1970s. This one will have you dancing in the streets and out of your seat. Check it out.

#5: Who We Are: A Chronicle of Racism in America (2021)

Jeffery Robinson, a criminal defense/civil rights lawyer, “draws a stark timeline of anti-Black racism in the United States, from slavery to the modern myth of a post-racial America” in this documentary. It’s that simple, yet so complicated. It goes without saying that it is a must-see.

#4: Jeen-Yuhs (2022)

This 2022 documentary about his rise to superstardom is beyond compelling, regardless of where you fall on the Love Ye / Hate Ye scale. Who thinks to document their every move from the moment they begin pursuing their dream until they either abandon it or see it through to completion and beyond? Who would do that? Nobody but this black Kanye. He may be the only human being with a big enough ego to think of such a thing. And believe me when I say that the scope and scale of this documentary match that galaxy-sized self-obsession brahman has, which makes him both insanely talented and just plain insane.

#3: I Am Not Your Negro (2016)

This documentary by Raoul Peck, director of Exterminate All the Brutes (2021), introduced a whole new generation to James Baldwin’s brilliance and unabashed Blackness. Described as a work that imagines the completion of Baldwin’s unfinished manuscript, Remember This House (about Baldwin’s personal reflections on and recollections of three of his personal friends who were killed during the Civil Rights and Black Power movements—Medgar Evers, Malcolm X, and Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.), I Am Not Your Negro is about so much more.

#2: The Last Dance (2020) 

You don’t have to be a basketball fan to be captivated by the story of the last run at an NBA championship by the Michael Jordan-led Chicago Bulls, who were told before the season began that they would be disbanded. The documentary not only takes you on the 1996 Bulls’ championship ride, but it also delves deep into the pasts of players, coaches, and family members, highlighting triumphs and tragedies that are part of the human story, not just professional athletes’.

#1: High on the Hog 

What African American Cuisine Did for America (2021)

If you know me, you know I’m a sucker for anything that celebrates our history, especially those things that connect us to our African roots and our Pan-African family. This documentary accomplishes all of that and more. Because food is the main character. It’s our food. This is the stuff we grew up with. Many of us are eating right now and haven’t stopped since we were kids. This beautifully filmed and narrated work of art is full of both the familiar and the foreign; or, more accurately, things we’ve come to believe are foreign to us, but are actually part of our story and heritage.

And the okra on top? High on the Hog has a strong connection to H-Town. Quite a few, in fact.

Word In Black compiled this list of documentaries about the origins of African American culture.

This article was originally published in The Afro.