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So I watched the extremely impactful film, #JudasAndTheBlackMessiah, last night with the @davechensky watch-along & it was fun to debrief the movie afterward. There was one thing I wish we could have talked more about though... (1/6)
2/6 I woke up at 3am, still thinking about the surprise of some of the other viewers finding out Fred Hampton was 21 particularly because they said it seemed like #DanielKaluuya was playing an older, not younger, role than himself.
3/6 I didn’t think too much about age while watching, nor know it before the film, but given that the Black Panther Party was a movement founded by young people, I just assumed he was in his 20s... but okay, this history isn’t exactly prioritized in our US History curriculum.
4/6 For me, this brought to mind how too often, young Black folks are perceived as older while white folks get to be kids forever. Kyle Rittenhouse defending white supremacy at 17, gets to be just a kid. Fred Hampton just 4 years older, fighting against it, was a national threat.
5/6 And this is not judging those who saw the film this way, but modern day viewers watching a film about a 21 y.o. Black man played by someone who is 31 and thinking he must be older because he’s carrying himself in a way that’s mature and powerful, made me think...
6/6 How do we stop these subconscious assumptions and biases that are clearly ingrained in our society? I hadn’t viewed the acting/character the same way. But unfortunately, I can understand why others did. Anyway, #JudasAndTheBlackMessiah is a fantastic film. Hope many see it!
