Extraordinary People: Hero Movies for African American History Month

Abstract

Two movies about Black protest movement leaders in the 1960s are playing on home screens during African American History Month during the COVID-19 pandemic. The movies are made by African American moviemakers and are focused on Black protest movements. One Night in Miami and Judas and the Black Messiah present the lives and activities of Black leaders as seen through their personal lives and through their political careers. These leaders were involved in dilemmas of opposition to the American political system and cooperation with that system and were forced to suffer the injustices and humiliations often imposed by Whites. The outcomes of their discussions are shown as well as the fatal consequences for their activism. The focus is on the internal affairs of Black movements and the disappointment with White responses.