Hello and welcome to the first of my bi-weekly column for Grander! YAY! I look forward to sharing with you, through my writing, what comes to mind to discuss. To kick things off, and appropriately for Black History Month, let’s talk about Judas and the Black Messiah. I have been waiting for this movie…
From about the time I entered college in the early 90s, I have had a fascination with learning about the Black Panthers, so when I heard that Judas and the Black Messiah was about the life of Chairman Fred Hampton, I was ready. He was assassinated at such a young age (21) but made such an impact on his community and our history in his short time on this Earth. After watching the movie, and being introduced to the informant piece, his Judas, in this story, I sit here wondering why at age 46 I am being further educated now, over 51 years later since his death. And if I’m just now becoming further educated on this piece of our history, can you imagine the number of folks who, before this movie, may not have even known who Fred Hampton was? That is why it is so important to read and do your own research (and not just watch the movies, but even research the points in the movies to make sure they are even valid, as Hollywood may change some details for the sake of ratings) and then make it a point to share this knowledge with others. It’s the weekend as I write this so I’m off teaching duty today, but just sharing what’s on my mind right now!
I would love to hear your feedback, maybe get some ideas of topics to write about in my upcoming columns. Email me at shanikathewriter@gmail.com.
Until next time,
Shanika P. Carter, M.Sc.
Principal Consultant, THE WRITE FLOW & VIBE, LLC