I wrote for a local black paper when I was pregnant with Xay. I was interested in being a critic in those days, so I reviewed movies, TV, and plays. Since I was writing for the black paper, I felt burdened to review black movies exclusively. So that ended up being Higher Learning. period. In the spirit of that, I thought I’d write a list of the top 10 black themed movies for families.

1. Sister Act 2: This is my all time favorite. Yanni and I have large blocks of dialogue memorized. I remember seeing it in the theater with Yanni and my mother on Yanni’s 2nd birthday. The film broke right before the huge climactic scene of St. Francis Academy singing in the competition. The movie theater redeemed itself by giving us free tickets to see it again. It did not disappoint. When I found the video at blockbuster a few months later, I snapped it up.

2. Pride: We just saw this one, and I reviewed it. It definitely belongs in my top 10.

3. Akeelah and the Bee: I so feel this young girl struggling with excellence. I could watch it over and over and over.

4. Good Burger: Oh my goodness. The scene with George Clinton alone makes this one of my favorites. It’s very silly, just like Keenan and Kel.

5. Jump In: Love the double dutch movie. The hair, the moves, and the plot very similar to Sister Act 2, I might add. What’s not to love?

6. Happily Ever After: Though technically not a movie, this series plays on HBO family. Yanni, Xay and I watched it in the early 90s, and we loved these fairy tales.

7. Fat Albert: Keenan should do more movies! I loved Fat Albert as a child, and I thought this movie was funny and farcical.

8. BeBe’s Kids: I think this is too edgy for my kids, but it was very funny, and the animation was cute.

9. Up, Up, and Away: This Disney channel movie about a family of superheros was cute. It features Robert Townsend and Sherman Hensley.

10. Roots: This was a television event when I was growing up. We watched it as a family, a neighborhood, a school, and a community. And even though the discussion it provoked was not always pretty, it was powerful. The world is a different place today. Maybe those Roots discussions are responsible.