Juneteenth is an annual holiday commemorating the emancipation of enslaved African Americans in the United States. It marks the day in 1865 when Union soldiers arrived in Galveston, Texas and announced the Civil War had ended and that all enslaved people were free. Juneteenth was signed into a federal holiday in 2021.

This day is especially significant in Richmond, because it connects our community to a history that shaped our city and nation while celebrating Black culture, achievement, and the continuing journey toward equality.

Although our library locations are closed today in observance of Juneteenth, our digital collection remains available 24/7. Learn more about the history and significance of the holiday with these streaming films, all accessible with your library card.

Whose Streets? (2017) — Told by activists and leaders who live and breathe this movement for justice, Whose Streets? is an unflinching look at the Ferguson uprising and a powerful battle cry from a generation fighting, not for their civil rights, but for the right to live.

I Am Not Your Negro (2017) — Filmmaker Raoul Peck envisions the book James Baldwin never finished, Remember This House. It is a journey into black history that connects the Civil Rights movement to #BlackLivesMatter. It questions black representation in Hollywood and beyond and examines the lives and assassinations of Medgar Evers, Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr.

100 Years from Mississippi (2021) — Mamie Lang Kirkland was seven years old when she fled Ellisville, Mississippi in 1915 with her mother and siblings as her father and his friend, John Hartfield, escaped an approaching lynch mob. One hundred years later she travels back to connect her story to the larger impact of America’s legacy of racial violence.

Selma (2014) — From the Oscar-winning producers of 12 Years a Slave comes a powerful true story starring David Oyelewo and Oprah Winfrey. Facing violent opposition, Martin Luther King, Jr., led a historic march from Selma to Montgomery, changing the world forever.

Night Catches Us (2010) — In 1976, complex political and emotional forces are set in motion when a young man returns to the race-torn Philadelphia neighborhood where he came of age during the Black Power movement.

Origin (2023) — Written and directed by Academy Award nominee Ava DuVernay, ORIGIN chronicles the tragedy and triumph of Pulitzer Prize winning journalist Isabel Wilkerson as she investigates a global phenomenon of epic proportions.

761st Tank Battalion: The Original Black Panthers (2023) — The riveting story of the first all-Black tank battalion to fight in US military history. Under General George Patten’s command, the 761st fought heroically throughout WWII and were the furthest east of all US troops in the European theater of war.

John Lewis: Good Trouble (2020) — An intimate account of legendary U.S. Representative John Lewis’ life, legacy and more than 60 years of extraordinary activism – from the bold teenager on the front lines of the Civil Rights movement to the legislative powerhouse.

Emancipation Road (2014) — The story of African Slavery in America started with the first permanent English Colony in the 17th century… and ended with the Civil War. But those two hundred and fifty years of struggle were just the beginning. The beginning of a journey down the long Emancipation Road…

The Right to Read (2023) — Produced by LeVar Burton, this documentary explores what NAACP activist Kareem Weaver deems the paramount civil rights issue of our era: childhood literacy. Weaver embarks on a mission to uplift low reading scores in his hometown of Oakland, California.

The End of Slavery: The Fight for Amendment C (2021) — Slavery officially ended in the United States 1865… or did it? When a reporter asks the first black female elected state official in Utah if she knew that the Utah Constitution still allowed for slavery, Rep. Sandra Hollins was stunned. Through the social upheaval and heated national election, Rep. Hollins and small band of activist joined together to end slavery in Utah.

Metcalfe Park: Black Vote Rising (2021) — On April 7, Wisconsin held its primary election at the beginning of the pandemic in the U.S. An estimated 16% of Black voters were disenfranchised in Milwaukee. Danell Cross and Melody McCurtis are determined to prevent this from happening again. Follow the mother-daughter activist team as they organize their Black community to prepare for the 2020 presidential election and its challenges.

The Black Church: This is Our Story, This is Our Song (2021) — Trace the history of the Black Church in America. From enslavement to today, the series explores key events shaping an institution at the heart of African American communities on the frontlines of hope and change.

Scrum (2021) — The first Black US college rugby coach builds a new team at a predominantly white university and finds that success isn’t measured in championships.

We Want the Funk! (2025) — A syncopated voyage through funk’s history, from its African and jazz roots to James Brown’s early work and the rise of Parliament Funkadelic. Distinctly urban, funk reflected a post-Civil Rights sensibility. The film explores the symbiotic relationship between funk’s explosion and the political and racial dynamics of 1970s inner-city America.

Miss Juneteenth (2020) –A former beauty queen and single mom prepares her rebellious teenage daughter for the “Miss Juneteenth” pageant. Official Selection at the Sundance Film Festival and SXSW Film Festival.

Freedom Over Me: Eleven Slaves, Their Lives and Dreams Brought to Life (2016) — Inspired by the actual will of a plantation owner that listed the worth of each and every one of his workers, Ashley Bryan uses original documents from slave auctions and plantation estates to create moving and powerful poetry and illustrations that contrast the monetary value of a slave with the priceless value of a person’s life experiences and dreams-things that a slave owner could never take away.

Hidden Figures: The True Story of Four Black Women and the Space Race (2019) — Dorothy Vaughan, Mary Jackson, Katherine Johnson, and Christine Darden participated in some of NASA’s greatest successes, like providing the calculations for America’s first journeys into space. And they did so during a time when being black and a woman limited what they could do. A reading of the book by Margot Lee Shetterly.

These are just a few of the many films, documentaries, and series available through your library. Explore even more Juneteenth-inspired titles on Hoopla and Kanopy with your Richmond Public Library card, and discover your next watch!