Exploring Black Excellence: National Geographic's Must-Watch Series for Black History Month and Beyond
This Black History Month, let's celebrate the remarkable achievements of black people across the globe! National Geographic is offering a diverse range of series that will entertain and educate you, your loved ones, and your friends while highlighting black excellence. It's important to recognize that the celebration of black voices does not end in February. National Geographic will continue to honor black excellence throughout the year. So, make sure to check out the fantastic films and series mentioned below to discover more about the incredible accomplishments of black people worldwide.
FILM:
BOBI WINE (NATGEO) - Available now
Born in the slums of Kampala, Bobi Wine, Ugandan opposition leader, former member of parliament, activist and national superstar musician, risks his life and the lives of his wife, Barbie, and their children to fight the ruthless regime led by Yoweri Museveni. Museveni has been in power since 1986 and changed Uganda’s constitution to enable him to run for yet another five-year term. Running in the country’s 2021 presidential elections, Bobi Wine uses his music to denounce the dictatorial regime and support his life mission to defend the oppressed and the voiceless people of Uganda. In this fight, he must also take on the country’s police and military, which are not afraid to use violence and torture in a vain attempt to intimidate and silence him and his supporters.
THE SPACE RACE (NATGEO) - February 2024
The Space Race weaves together the stories of Black astronauts seeking to break the bonds of social injustice to reach for the stars, including Guion Bluford, Ed Dwight, and Charles Bolden, among many others. In THE SPACE RACE, directors Diego Hurtado de Mendoza and Lisa Cortés profile the pioneering Black pilots, scientists, and engineers who joined NASA to serve their country in space, even as their country failed to achieve equality for them back on Earth. From 1963, when the assassination of JFK thwarted Captain Ed Dwight’s quest to reach the moon, to 2020, when the echoes of the civil unrest sparked by the killing of George Floyd reached the International Space Station, the story of African Americans at NASA is a tale of world events colliding with the aspirations of uncommon men. The bright dreams of Afrofuturism become reality in THE SPACE RACE, turning science fiction into science fact and forever redefining what “the right stuff” looks like, giving us new heroes to celebrate and a fresh history to explore.
TV:
GENIUS: MLK/X (NATGEO) - February 1, 2024
Two leaders of the civil rights Movement, Martin Luther King and Malcolm X, are explored in "Genius: MLK/X." From showrunners Damione Macedon and Raphael Jackson, Jr., the series tracks the lives of these very different and uniquely brilliant men who, despite their differences, fueled each other in their contrasting pursuits of the same goal – our humanity in America. (Read our review)
QUEENS (NATGEO) - March 2024
The wildest places on the planet have always been home to powerful leaders, but this is a story of a new hero – fierce, smart, resilient and ... female. QUEENS features matriarchies and female leaders around the world to tell a story of sacrifice and resilience but also of friendship and love. These QUEENS aren’t always kind or gentle, letting nothing come between them and the success and safety of their families. Guided by award-winning actress Angela Bassett’s powerful narration, QUEENS brings the natural world into focus through the female lens for the very first time. Four years in the making and helmed by a female-led production team from around the world – groundbreaking in the natural history space – the seven-part series leverages cutting-edge technology to reveal surprising insights into how females in the natural world rise to power, often relying on cooperation and wisdom over brute strength to get ahead. The final episode of the series celebrates the women who have gone to the ends of the Earth and dedicated their lives to documenting and protecting animal queens. We don’t call her Mother Nature for nothing. All hail ... the QUEENS.
CRITTER FIXERS (NATGEO) - Spring 2024
100 miles south of Atlanta, Dr. Hodges and Dr. Ferguson are two longtime friends who own and operate Critter Fixer Veterinary Hospital. Together with their loving staff, Drs. Hodges and Ferguson treat and care for over 20,000 patients. Between emergency visits to the office and farm calls throughout rural Georgia - the Critter Fixers are constantly bombarded with unique cases you only see in the country.