Portland observer., February 24, 2021, Page 16, Image 16

Page 16
February 24, 2021
Illuminating the Black Power Movement
New films explore FBI’s historic obsession with Black leaders
Some of the most dramatic
and important American sto-
ries have garnered the least
attention in popular media. It’s
an obvious point, but a neglect-
ed one--money and power pro-
tect whose stories are told and
o Pinionated
J udge
J udge
d arleen o rtega
by
The new film “Judas and the Black Messiah,” now streaming on HBO Max, shines a light on the leadership and assassination of Fred
Hampton, chairman of the Illinois Black Panther Party in 1969, and Bill O’Neal, the young man who fed the FBI much of the information
that made that assassination possible.
in what way. And that wholly
fixable problem becomes hard-
er to address the longer we ne-
glect it--the scale of the untold
stories is so large, and how we
hear them will be impacted
by the ongoing and unnamed
skewing of our collective per-
spective.
It’s important to notice this
so we accord appropriate re-
spect to artists who make a se-
rious attempt to wade into un-
derexplored territory, and also
so that we view our response
with appropriate skepticism
and curiosity. I want folks to
see “Judas and the Black Mes-
siah”--but first I want us to look
around. Where are the films de-
picting the Black Power move-
ment, or the Black Panther
Party? And in contrast, how
many stories have made it into
popular media in which law
enforcement are the heroes?
Director Shaka King, col-
laborating with writers Kenny
and Keith Lucas and Will Ber-
son, plunge into the neglected
side of that contrast, choosing