Since the 1800s, Juneteenth has been celebrating African-American culture, but it was in 2021 that it was officially signed into law as a national holiday to be celebrated every June 19th. With this comes a day off work and school in observance, national celebrations, and a lot to watch on OTT.

Also read: Why Juneteenth is not a paid holiday across the US

Here is a list of shows and movies starring black actors with inspirational stories to overcome racism:

The Colour of Friendship (2000)

The Colour of Friendship is followed by Lindsey Haun as Mahree, a white girl from South Africa, and Shadia Simmons as Piper, a black girl from America, who teach each other about their backgrounds and learn to look beyond the colour of their skin.

Also read: Some unknown facts about Juneteenth

Hidden Figures (2016)

Hidden Figures follows characters based on Katherine Johnson, Dorothy Vaughan and Mary Jackson​​​​​​​, who were the brains behind sending Astronaut John Glenn into space to orbit around the earth in 1962.

The Proud Family: Louder And Prouder (2022)

The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder picks up right where the old show left off, but now, Penny has become a teenager with some new friends, starring a cast of prominent black actors old and new like Kyla Pratt, Billy Porter and Keke Palmer.

Also read: How is Juneteenth different from fourth of July

Black Is King (2020)

The film, Black Is King curates clips of Beyoncé, her daughter Blue Ivy Carter and several others as it reimagines the lessons of the Disney classic The Lion King – which starred Beyoncé in its 2019 live-action remake – and uses the music of Beyoncé’s album The Lion King: The Gift.

Also read: What is Juneteenth, a day observed in US to mark the termination of slavery?

The Princess and the Frog (2009)

The film starred Anika Noni Rose as Tiana, a hardworking black woman who longed to open her own restaurant until she accidentally turned her into a frog, throwing a wrench in the wheel, while new animal friends teach her the importance of having fun and finding love.

Black Panther (2018)

The film is followed by a young black man named T’Challa, who takes over the throne as Black Panther after his father’s death and learns his first act of duty is to rally fellow Wakandans to defeat an old enemy who appears as a threat to their country.

Also read: Why Walmart had to pull ‘Juneteenth’ ice cream product sale

Queen of Katwe (2016)

This film tells the true story of Phiona Mutesi, a young girl from Katwe whose life changes when she learns the game of chess from missionary Robert Katende and becomes a top chess player despite not even being in school.