Celebrate, Educate, Inspire: Your BHM Programming Guide
Creating meaningful Black History Month programming doesn't have to be complicated. Here are four innovative ways to engage your community through film, along with carefully selected movie suggestions for each event type:
Family Heritage Celebration
Transform your library into a celebration of Black family traditions with an afternoon of storytelling, craft-making, and film. Set up stations where families can create African-inspired art, learn about family tree research and share their own family stories.
Youth Film &
Discussion Series
Engage teens and young adults with a weekly film series that explores Black excellence across different fields. Partner with local youth organizations and invite community leaders to facilitate post-screening discussions. Provide participants with “Director’s Notebooks” for journaling their thoughts throughout the program and create a “Critics Corner” where teens can write and publish reviews on the library’s social media. End the series with a youth-led mini film festival showcasing their own short films inspired by Black History Month.
Local Heroes Spotlight
Connect history to your community by showcasing local Black leaders and their impact. Combine film screenings with presentations from current community leaders and historical society representatives. You could include recording stations for preserving oral histories, and partner display artifacts and memorabilia from local historical societies.
African Americans
and Labor: 2025 Theme
Explore the rich history of Black contributions to American labor movements through film and discussion in honor of the 2025 Black History Month theme. Partner with local unions, businesses and workforce development organizations for panel discussions or to host a donation drive for professional clothes for those looking to enter or re-enter the workforce.
*"The Angry Black Girl and Her Monster" *"Woman in Motion" *"The Last Black Man in San Francisco" - Single Event License Required.