Grounded in the empowerment of women in historical and contemporary STEM leadership, the Hidden Figures curriculum guide highlights the determination of Katherine Johnson, Dorothy Vaughan and Mary Jackson, three Black women known as “human computers” who were employed by NASA in Langley, Virginia. These women transcended the discriminatory biases of colleagues and community members to achieve their goals and become leaders in the fields of mathematics and engineering.

Just Mercy follows Harvard Law School graduate Bryan Stevenson’s move to Alabama where he recognizes an urgent need to provide free legal assistance to minorities who have been unfairly sentenced.  It is a story that uplifts marginalized voices who are typically unheard, unacknowledged, or deemed undeserving of mercy in the criminal justice system. This inspiring film explores themes of empathy, equity, hope, and resilience.

In Summer of Soul (…Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised), Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson presents a powerful and transporting documentary — part music film, part historical record created around an epic event that celebrated Black history, culture and fashion. Over the course of 6 weeks in the summer of 1969, just 100 miles south of Woodstock, The Harlem Cultural Festival was filmed in Mount Morris Park (now Marcus Garvey Park). The footage was largely forgotten–until now. Summer of Soul shines a light on the importance of history to our spiritual well-being.

Disney’s Chevalier is inspired by the incredible true story of Black French classical composer Joseph Bologne, Chevalier de Saint-Georges. The illegitimate son of an African slave and a French plantation owner, Bologne (Kelvin Harrison Jr.) rises to improbable heights in French society as a celebrated violinist-composer and fencer, complete with a star-crossed love affair and a falling out with Marie Antoinette (Lucy Boynton) and her court.

Queen of Katwe is based on the colorful, true story of a young girl selling corn on the streets of rural Uganda. Her world rapidly changes when she is introduced to the game of chess, and, as a result of the support she receives from her family and community, is instilled with the confidence and determination she needs to pursue her dream of becoming an international chess champion. The film stars Golden Globe nominee David Oyelowo (Selma), Oscar winner and Tony Award nominee Lupita Nyong’o (12 Years a Slave), and newcomer Madina Nalwanga.

In The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind, young William Kamkwamba must leave school and abandon his formal education because his family can no longer pay the tuition. As the drought and resulting famine in Malawi continue, his family, like others, comes close to starvation. This true story shows how Williams’s resourcefulness provided a solution for his family and eventually for his village: a wind turbine to bring water to the fields.