Black History Month honors the rich cultural heritage and traditions of Black communities and recognizes their profound contributions in shaping U.S. society. This month serves as an opportunity to celebrate the achievements and resilience of Black Americans throughout history. It is also a time to reflect on the systemic injustices and inequities these communities have faced and continue to confront.

According to our most recent U.S. Opportunity Gap Report, Black workers continue to be underrepresented in both leadership and management positions relative to their proportion of the private sector labor force. Black women are 8.4% of the workforce represented in the EEO-1 data, but only 4.1% of managers and 2.0% of executives. Black men are 6.9% of the workforce,  3.9% of managers and 1.8% of executives.

Compared to white men, Black women are 7.6 times less likely to be in executive positions and 2.9 times less likely to be in managerial roles, while Black men are 7 times less likely to be executives and 2.5 times less likely to be managers. This inequitable access to higher-paying roles is a key contributor to the unadjusted pay gap for Black workers, which currently stands at 75 cents on the dollar for Black women and 80 cents on the dollar for Black men, compared to the usual weekly earnings of white men (source: BLS Usual Weekly Earnings).

As a company dedicated to creating more equitable workplaces, our team is constantly looking for opportunities to understand each others’ experiences and relate through stories. To celebrate Black History Month, we put together our top recommendations for books, documentaries, movies, and TV shows that showcase Black history, culture, and voices.

 

Nonfiction books

Black Joy: Stories of Resistance, Resilience, and Restoration

by Tracey Michae’l Lewis-Giggetts

Get the book

 

 

 

 

Pregnant While Black: Advancing Justice for Maternal Health in America

by Monique Rainford

Get the book

 

 

 

 

All That She Carried: The Journey of Ashley’s Sack, a Black Family Keepsake

by Tiya Milles

Get the book

 

 

 

Shine Bright: A Very Personal History of Black Women in Pop

by Danyel Smith

Get the book

 

 

 

Black Boy Smile: A Memoir in Moments

by D. Watkins

Get the book

 

 

 

Upper Hand: The Future of Work for the Rest of Us

by Sherrell Dorsey

Get the book

 

 

 

Between the World and Me

by Ta-Nehisi Coates

Get the book

 

 

 

Hood Feminism

by Mikki Kendall

Get the book

 

 

 

Becoming

by Michelle Obama

Get the book

 

 

 

A Taste of Power: A Black Woman’s Story

by Elaine Brown

Get the book

 

 

 

 

 

 

Novels

The Great Mrs. Elias

by Barbara Chase-Riboud

Get the book

 

 

 

The Nickel Boys

by Colson Whitehead

Get the book

 

 

 

Don’t Cry for Me

by Daniel Black

Get the book

 

 

 

Memphis

by Tara M. Stringfellow

Get the book

 

 

 

Yonder

by Jabari Asim

Get the book

 

 

 

Last Summer on State Street

by Toya Wolfe

Get the book

 

 

 

Kindred

by Octavia Butler

Get the book

 

 

 

The Vanishing Half

by Brit Bennett

Get the book

 

 

 

Fences

by August Wilson

Get the book

 

 

 

 

 

Documentaries & docuseries

Renaissance: A Film by Beyoncé

Currently in theaters

 

 

 

All Up in the Biz: The Life and Rhymes of Biz Markie

Watch on: Paramount +, Amazon Prime Video

 

 

 

 

Stamped from the Beginning

Watch on: Netflix

 

 

 

 

Silver Dollar Road

Watch on: Amazon Prime Video

 

 

 

 

The League

Watch on: AppleTV, Vudu, Youtube, Google Play

 

 

 

 

Aftershock

Watch on: Hulu

 

 

 

 

What Happened, Miss Simone?

Watch on: Netflix, Apple TV, Amazon Prime Video

 

 

 

 

Jackie Robinson

Watch on: PBS, Amazon Prime Video

 

 

 

 

The Death and Life of Marsha P. Johnson

Watch on: Netflix

 

 

 

 

The Central Park Five

Watch on: Apple TV

 

 

 

 

Soundtrack for a Revolution

Watch on: Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV, Tubi TV

 

 

 

 

The Trials of Muhammad Ali

Watch on: Apple TV, Amazon Prime Video

 

 

 

 

 

 

Movies

American Fiction

Watch on: Vudu

 

 

 

 

A Thousand and One

Watch on: Amazon Prime Video, AppleTV

 

 

 

 

The Color Purple (2023)

Watch on: Amazon Prime Video, Vudu, Apple TV

 

 

 

 

Creed III

Watch on: Amazon Prime Video, MGM+

 

 

 

 

The Woman King

Watch on: Amazon Prime Video, Vudu, Apple TV

 

 

 

Nope

Watch on: Peacock TV, Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV

 

 

 

 

The Inspection

Watch on: Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV, Google Play

 

 

 

 

BlacKkKlansman

Watch on: Apple TV, Amazon Prime Video

 

 

 

 

Hidden Figures

Watch on: Apple TV, Amazon Prime Video

 

 

 

 

Girls Trip

Watch on: Apple TV, Amazon Prime Video

 

 

 

 

Moonlight

Watch on: Hulu, Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV

 

 

 

 

Queen & Slim

Watch on: Apple TV, Amazon Prime Video

 

 

 

 

 

Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom

Watch on: Netflix

 

 

 

 

If Beale Street Could Talk

Watch on: Hulu, YouTube, Apple TV, Amazon Prime Video

 

 

 

 

Get On Up

Watch on: Netflix, Apple TV, YouTube, Amazon Prime Video

 

 

 

 

42

Watch on: HBO Max, Apple TV, Amazon Prime Video

 

 

 

 

 

 

TV series

Lawman: Bass Reeves

Watch on: Paramount+

 

 

 

 

Swarm

Watch on: Amazon Prime Video

 

 

 

 

Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story

Watch on: Netflix

 

 

 

 

Insecure

Watch on: HBO Max

 

 

 

 

 

Podcast episode

You’re Wrong About: Reconstruction (with Jamelle Bouie)

Listen on: Apple Podcasts