A standing ovation isn’t even enough.
Inspired by true events, Judas and the Black Messiah illustrates the infiltration of the Illinois Black Panther Party, leading to the assassination of Deputy Chairman Fred Hampton.
Scott Olson / Getty Images / Via Getty Images
I never learned about this in school (no surprise), so I was eager to watch this portion of Black history.
Warner Bros. / Everett Collection
Needless to say, I was not disappointed.
Here are some of the most powerful parts of the film:
1.
When snippets of the uproar that followed Martin Luther King Jr.’s assassination are shown.
Identity / Via giphy.com
Assemblage was top of mind.
2.
When Chairman Fred Hampton talks about revolution and gradual reform.
Judas and the Black Messiah / Via giphy.com
Hampton was an amazing orator.
3.
When Deborah Johnson tells Fred Hampton he’s a poet.
Warner Bros. / Everett Collection
It’s all about perception.
4.
When members of the Black Panther Party visit the Crowns (a rival group), proposing unification.
5.
When Fred and Deborah both recite lines from Malcolm X’s speech.
6.
When the Rainbow Coalition was formed.
7.
When Spurgeon “Jake” Winters is not allowed to visit Jimmy Palmer, so he begins reciting Claude McKay outside of his hospital room.
8.
When the Black Panthers try to defend their headquarters against the police.
9.
When the Crowns help the Black Panthers rebuild their headquarters.
Warner Bros. / Everett Collection
Teamwork makes the dream work.
10.
When Fred gets out of prison and greets Deborah who found out she was pregnant while he was away.
11.
When Fred gives a speech after being released from jail.
Warner Bros. / Everett Collection
12.
When Deborah reads Fred a poem that she wrote.
13.
When Jake is killed during a shootout with police.
14.
When Deborah tells Fred that the party and the people will protect their unborn child.
15.
When Deborah is only steps away from a drugged Fred when he is shot to death during a police raid.
16.
When Bill is compensated for his infiltration of the Black Panther Party.
Warner Bros. / Everett Collection
The deception was so real.
17.
When a photo of the real Mother Akua Njeri (formerly known as Deborah Johnson) and her son, Chairman Fred Hampton Jr., are shown.
18.
When a clip of the real Fred Hampton speaking illustrates just how passionate he was.
“The workers need to begin to learn that their job is to struggle against the bosses…”
— Chairman Fred Hampton
@_CharlesPreston / Via Twitter
Again, the man was a great speaker.
19.
And finally, when the film reveals that a civil rights lawsuit surrounding the raid that killed Hampton, Mark Clark and injured several others was settled over 10 years later.
This new biopic, “Judas and the Black Messiah,” brings light to the police killing of Black Panther Party Chairman Fred Hampton.
@ajplus / Via Twitter
How did I not know about all of this before the film?
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