Binge These Freedom Films That Celebrate Black Stories This Fourth of July

UPDATE — Thursday, July 2, 2026, 12:45 p.m. EST:

True independence looks different for everyone. While people look forward to their time off celebrating the Fourth of July tomorrow, Black folks found their freedom in different ways. Check out a list of freedom films that celebrate Black figures and the community at large on their quest for true liberation.

Liberation looks like expression through music, art and activism for Black people. Black folks have always found innovative ways to find true agency over our lives and legacies. In the films listed below, iconic Black leaders like Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Rosa Parks, and Shirley Chisolm’s stories are celebrated and uplifted. Meanwhile, fictional stories like The Color Purple and Alice, rooted in the realities of Black people, focus on freedom from oppression, both outside and within our communities.

These topics are all so layered, but ultimately they discuss the core of what the Fourth of July is about – freedom. However, the real question is who’s truly gained independence?

Independence Day, known colloquially as the Fourth of July, is a federal holiday in the United States commemorating the Declaration of Independence, which was ratified by the Second Continental Congress on July 4, 1776, establishing the United States of America.

This “great” country was essentially started by immigrants who set out for a better future for themselves and their families. Now, it’s turned into the very place that they once escaped. It’s an especially haunting experience for the people who built this country.

While we can’t change that, we can absolutely honor the stories of Black people who have sought out freedom for themselves.

Check out a list of our favorite Black freedom films below:

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