Angelique Jackson To capture the essence of Black Panthers leader Fred Hampton, “Judas and the Black Messiah” director Shaka King couldn’t just read a few history books.
He had to put boots on the ground. King traveled to Chicago to speak with the real-life players from the Illinois chapter of the party and to find out what made Hampton tick from the people who knew him best.It was more than a fact-finding mission.
It was also an exercise in earning the trust of individuals whose stories had been inaccurately portrayed in the past.“It didn’t surprise me that a lot of folks didn’t want their names on the record because they were infiltrated and people were murdered, so they’re very private people,” King explains.
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