“You can murder a liberator, but 

you can’t murder a liberation.” - Fred 
Hampton. 

 On Friday, Feb. 12, the long-

awaited biopic, “Judas and the Black 
Messiah,” will be released. The film 
is a historical portrayal of the Illinois 
chapter of the Black Panther Party 
for Self-Defense. The Black Panther 
Party 
championed 
countless 

community programs, including 
the Free Breakfast Program and the 
People’s Free Ambulance Service, as 
well as a constant pursuit of adequate 
health care, education, housing 
and self-determination. Led by 
Deputy Chairman Fred Hampton, 
the Illinois chapter, like many of 
its nation-wide counterparts, was 
a militant body of revolutionaries 
challenging the global institutions 
of 
capitalism, 
imperialism 
and 

fascism –– oppressive mediums 
inextricably 
bound 
to 
racism. 

Hampton was primed for his 
position as a leader throughout 
his youth. Having observed the 
eloquence of intellectuals and the 
inspired oration of Malcolm X, he 
was profoundly aware that he had 
been called on to serve The People, 
and while a student at Triton Junior 
College, he founded the Illinois 
chapter of the Black Panther Party. 

Tasked with embodying such 

poise, actor Daniel Kaluuya does 
Chairman Fred Hampton’s integrity 
justice and the rest of us a service 
with his captivating performance. 
Writer and director Shaka King 
remarks, “When we sat down 
together, 
(Kaluuya) 
had 
some 

qualities, as a person, that I’ve heard 
a lot of people use to describe Fred. 
A real sense of maturity, a gravitas, 
a power of presence, (… ) —a wit, a 
cleverness. ( . . . ) And Fred possessed 
that as well.” 

The film depicts the life and love 

of the Illinois chapter, as well as 
the internal conflict of 17-year-old 
William O’Neal, played by LaKeith 
Stanfield. O’Neal is obligated to both 
the BPP and the government’s will, 
having been planted into the ranks 
of the Illinois chapter by the Federal 
Bureau of Investigation to infiltrate 
the Black Panther Party and surveil 
Hampton –– one of FBI director J. 
Edgar Hoover’s so-called “Black 
Messiahs.” 

The Saturday before the movie’s 

release, Daniel Kaluuya, LaKeith 
Stanfield, 
Dominique 
Fishback 

(portraying 
Deborah 
Johnson), 

Dominique Thorne (Judy Harmon), 
Algee Smith (Jake Winters) and 
Darrell Britt-Gibson (Bobby Rush) 
sat down with the Michigan in 
Color section of The Michigan Daily 
to discuss the film. These actors 
embody the quintessential theme of 
both the film and the Black Panther 
Party –– the manifold nature of 
Revolution. In speaking to them, it 
became apparent that the film was 
emblematic of three realizations 
of 
Revolution: 
Womanhood 
as 

Revolution, Serving the People as 
Revolution and ultimately, Love as 
Revolution. 

“Women create worlds and we 

create lives. And how revolutionary 
is it to create love and to create 
life and surrender it to the world? 
That’s extremely radical. And so on 
a basic level, women are and always 
(have) 
been 
revolutionary 
and 

radical,” Fishback told The Daily. 
And at the forefront of history, at 
the forefront of scholarship, at the 
forefront of the Black Panther Party 
and at the forefront of this film are 
Black women. The biopic offers us 
two female forces: non-fictional 
writer and activist Johnson (now 
known as Mama Akua Njeri) and 
fictional Judy Harmon, the chapter’s 
security captain meant to represent 
unyielding Black women and their 
supreme discipline. Johnson is a 
constant pillar of love, support, trust 
and humanity.

In the Warner Bros. production 

notes, shared with The Daily, 
Shaka King embraces Johnson — 
Hampton’s fiancée — as Hampton’s 
intellectual equal and vessel to 
render him, “from superhuman to 
human(…) In getting to know her, 
he becomes the People. In turn, she 
becomes a Revolutionary.” Johnson 
challenges Hampton’s leadership, 

encouraging him to step down and 
stand with the People and to exist 
with the People, who in turn, he 
becomes. Fishback and her character 
Johnson alike are representations 
of unapologetic truth and a clarity 
of purpose. They guide the path 
to seeing liberation through. In an 
interview with The Daily, Thorne, 
playing Harmon, articulates the 
Revolutionary force of women within 
the film with pristine eloquence: 
“There’s a reason why Judy Harmon 
was in that room. There’s a reason 
why Deborah Johnson was in those 
rooms, there is a very clear reason 
why, and hopefully you see that in 
the action that they take and in the 
way that they speak to each other. It 
was about telling the truth, honestly, 
because that has been the legacy of 

Black women since the beginning 
of time.”

Hampton’s speeches are central 

to the film, which parallel his 
reverence for oration in real life; 
central to these speeches are always 
the People to whom he is speaking. 
When asked what he hoped people 
would take away from the film, 
Kaluuya told The Daily that he 

wants the movie to represent what 
“the Black Panther Party(…) stood 
for. They fed kids with the breakfast 
program, they educated kids, they 
covered Legal Aid, they organized 
buses in order for people who had 
family members in prison(…) to go 
and visit them; they really poured 
love within their own community. 
And the earnest narrative of them 
being a terrorist organization was 
rooted in white fear of Black life.”

Hampton 
was 
a 
vessel 
for 

defending, protecting and upholding 
the People first and foremost; 
the BPP nurtured the People and 
provided them with the material 
and 
intellectual 
resources 
for 

optimal 
progression 
toward 

personal and community goals. 
The production notes also quote 

Dominique Fishback speaking to 
the power of the Black Panther 
Party and respective intellectual 
enlightenment: “To learn about 
the Black Panther Party is to learn 
how to be at the helm of your own 
investigational studies and also 
guided by your own intuition. A deep 
knowing of truth.” Just as the true 
players of history lived each moment 
pursuing their deepest knowing of 
truth, the actors that created this 
film did so as an act of servitude to 
the People, for the sake of informing 
and providing resources through 
which one may expand limitlessly. 

Poetry is ever-present in the 

film as a mechanism for depicting 
both the Black Panthers’ inherent 
poetic nature and the understanding 
of revolution as existing within 
creation. And this poetry, for which 
Johnson is a vessel, is the ultimate 
representation of revolutionary love. 
Upon Hampton and Johnson’s first 
meeting, she remarks to him, “Just so 
you know, you are a poet.” Hampton 
eventually 
begins 
to 
embrace 

Johnson’s ideology –– that being 
radical is more than inspired action; 
it is loving, building, caring and 
learning. Fishback herself echoes the 
sentiment that embodying profound 
love takes shape in a multitude of 
ways, positing to The Daily, “We 
think that revolutionaries are only 
gun carrying and speaking out on 
platforms, but we see the levels. We 
have Dominique Thorne, who plays 
Judy Harmon; she has the gun, and 
she’s on a security team. And then 
we have my character, navigating 
the whole world, what women do.”

Love as told through poetry is 

Johnson’s radical nature, and in this, 
she recognizes that love within and 
for family is inherently antithetical 
to any system existing to isolate, 
separate and oppress. Fishback, who 
told The Daily she is a poet herself, 
said she wrote inspired poetry 
specifically for the film. In the film, 
Johnson recites a deeply spiritual 
poem that portrays her greatest 
passions, joys and fears. In her poem, 

she reflects on her fear that she will 
never be radical enough for the man 
she loves –– that raising a family and 
putting her family first isn’t radical 
enough. Tears falling from her 
face, she looks up at Hampton and 
speaks of her realization that every 
characteristic of herself that she fears 
is not radical enough, is exactly what 
make her radical. Just as Hampton 
understands his purpose as one for 
the People, Deborah understands 
herself as not only a vessel for radical 
Love through her poetry, but a vessel 
for radical Love through the living 
being within her –– a culmination of 
the mutual love, care and respect at 
the foundation of their relationship.

This 
film 
was 
indubitably 

affecting in its representation of 
Black family, love and power, though 
it did not capture everything that 
Chairman Fred Hampton and the 
BPP’s anti-imperialist, anti-capitalist 
politic was. The Black Panther Party 
and the film’s events implore us to 
execute self-education, especially 
through reading, of information 
beyond the scope of pop culture 
or what is immediately available 
to us. Politics must be internalized 
for individual understanding, so 
that we may serve the People in 
the most interpersonally effective 
way feasible. We must create trust, 
first with ourselves and our own 
intellect, and then apply that to the 
world we interact with in the pursuit 
of servitude. Hampton himself 
proclaims, “not theory and theory 
alone, but theory and practice. The 
two go together. We not only thought 
about the Marxist-Leninist theory — 
we put it into practice. This is what 
the Black Panther Party is about.”

“We do not fight racism with racism. 

We fight racism with solidarity. We 
do not fight exploitative capitalism 
with Black capitalism. We fight 
capitalism with basic socialism. And 
we do not fight imperialism with more 
imperialism. We fight imperialism with 
proletarian internationalism.” - Black 
Panther Party Co-Founder Bobby Seale

“In speaking to (the cast of 

“Judas and the Black Messiah”), it 

became apparent that the film was 

emblematic of three realizations 

of Revolution: Womanhood as 

Revolution, Serving the People as 

Revolution and ultimately, Love as 

Revolution.”

At 
President 
Joe 
Biden’s 

inauguration on Jan. 20, 2021, 
22-year-old Amanda Gorman 
delivered an original poem, 
“The Hill We Climb.” The Los 
Angeles resident and Harvard 
College graduate made history 
as 
the 
youngest 
known 

inaugural 
poet, 
sparking 

admiration and conversation in 
the following weeks.

Her 
poem 
isn’t 
without 

criticism, however. Some people 
have taken to the comment 
sections in newspapers like 
The Hill to demean her values 
with matters of technicality. 
Check out Reddit’s r/Poetry 
subreddit, a place to share and 
discuss published poetry, and 
you’ll find similar sentiments. 
One user said, “The meter is all 
over the place. The wordplay 
is inane. It’s full of patriotic 
platitudes and contains nothing 
new or surprising. It wouldn’t 
inspire anyone at any time 
except Americans, today.”

So, I am inclined to ask, 

what makes a good poem? The 
structure? 
Its 
impact? 
I’ve 

heard various people commend 
the artist yet criticize the 
poem 
for 
things 
such 
as 

“clichés” 
and 
“frustrating 

meter.” 
Additionally, 
others 
 

have praised “The Hill We 
Climb” for its messages and 
pacing but question whether 
it 
is 
“technically 
strong.” 

Regardless, I think that there is 
great merit in the work as a piece 
of art. Art and creativity can be 
important tools for inspiring 
people, and Gorman utilized 
them to do just that. A Forbes 
article 
says, 
“Gorman 
has 

produced poetry and studied 
sociology, 
so 
in 
combining 

complex social science into an 
art form, she has developed a 
unique offering in both fields.” 
I’d have to agree.

Journalists, 
teachers 
and 

YouTubers alike have begun 
analyzing 
Gorman’s 
piece, 

noting 
references 
to 
the 

Bible and other poets’ work. 

Personally, I hear rhythms and 
repetitions that remind me of 
the musical “Hamilton.” There 
are two references to the musical 
within the poem, in addition to 
commentary on current events. 
The significance? Gorman is 
purposeful in her words and 
presentation. The accessibility 
of her piece, though indifferent 
to the poem’s technicality, is, 
bluntly put, incredible. There is 
still value that can be measured 
in the conciseness of words and 
density of thought within it, 
but the poem’s reach to general 
audiences should be considered 
invaluable. 
The 
feelings 
it 

evoked in countless people, 
even if only for a moment, 
have been monumental (just 
check 
out 
the 
positivity 

related to #AmandaGorman on 
Twitter). Gorman’s position as 
an inaugural poet gave her a 
platform to deliver a message 
in a moving way, reaching those 
who previously wouldn’t have 
given poetry a second thought. 
I think this is one area that 
she succeeds, not just in her 
poem, but in her empowering 
execution.

In her delivery, Gorman’s 

presence 
exudes 
strength, 

but her words also reflect 
pain. Poignant lines remind 
young Americans — not unlike 
Gorman — that our work is 
not done. We must strive for 
progress in a society that is 
fast-paced 
and 
continuously 

evolving. 
Accommodating 

changing times also means 
acknowledging the dark that 
remains. In doing so, and in 
the words of Gorman herself in 
“The Hill We Climb,” perhaps 
we might “raise this wounded 
world into a wondrous one.” 
What exactly does it mean “to 
forge a union with purpose?” 
Can love truly “become our 
legacy?” Will the poem that 
implores such affirmations be 
remembered and recited for 
years to come? I don’t know, but 
I don’t believe that its relevance 
to the present detracts from 
the message it has to tell. If 
anything, the call for light and 
unity is one that we needed.

Poetry and technicality: 

Amanda Gorman’s 
“The Hill We Climb”

ELIZABETH SCHRINER

MiC Columnist

puzzle by sudokusnydictation.com

By Julian Lim
©2021 Tribune Content Agency, LLC
02/17/21

Los Angeles Times Daily Crossword Puzzle

Edited by Rich Norris and Joyce Nichols Lewis

02/17/21

ANSWER TO PREVIOUS PUZZLE:

Release Date: Wednesday, February 17, 2021

ACROSS

1 “__ All That”: 

1999 movie

5 Diver’s gear
9 “Fancy seeing 

you here!”

14 Hoof it on a bad 

knee, say

15 Ecstatic internet 

shout

16 Driver’s choice
17 Oberlin’s state
18 “We tried, but this 

won’t work”

20 Give up on
22 Superman’s 

makeup?

23 Fashion plate
24 Kerfuffle
27 Construction 

girder

31 Dubuque 

denizen

33 Serve as a 

reminder

37 Mic __: 

triumphant move

39 Finnish company 

that created 
Angry Birds

40 James Patterson 

hero __ Cross

41 Do an 

accountant’s job

44 Cheapen
45 Subtle summons
46 Run-of-the-mill
47 Nonsense
50 Yellowfins, e.g.
55 Write briefly and 

quickly

59 Cause of a crash
62 Family __
63 Cup or star
64 Emerald City 

princess

65 “Haven’t decided 

yet”

66 Uses WhatsApp, 

say

67 Eject
68 Tibetan title

DOWN

1 Slackens the 

pace

2 Drum kit item with 

a pedal

3 “Into the Wild” 

star Hirsch

4 Took the mic
5 “Just saying,” in 

66-Across

6 Kappa preceder

7 Meddlesome
8 Nonsense 

companion?

9 Black-and-white 

dessert

10 Ian who plays 

Bilbo Baggins

11 It might be 

adjusted in 
Photoshop

12 Kang and 

Kodos, on “The 
Simpsons”

13 “Affirmative”
19 Sellout letters
21 Sacha Baron 

Cohen alter ego

24 Mil. truants
25 “You wouldn’t __!”
26 Black gemstone 

used to make 
beads

28 Snooze inducer
29 Auth. unknown
30 Gun
32 Actor Epps
33 Fish story 

notable

34 Backs (out)
35 Popular video 

game series, with 
“The”

36 Unruly groups
37 Scot’s Scotch 

order

38 Yahoo
42 Foreshadows
43 R&B great 

James

48 Ending with 

malt

49 Ache
51 “__ we meet 

again”

52 Fashionista 

Kamali

53 Likely roster for 

the big game

54 “I’m outta here”

55 Bar flier
56 Rice-shaped 

pasta used in 
salads

57 Acronymic 

anxiety about 
being excluded 
from the fun

58 Group with 

pledges

59 The 1% in 1% 

milk

60 Flabbergast
61 Sales __

SUDOKU

5

6
1

9

2

6

2

3

5
6

8

9

8
4

9
5
4
7

8
6

9

4

1

4

5

3
6

1
6

4
9


“Subscribe to 
The Daily!”

“Happy
President’s 
Day

02/11/21

WHISPER

“Judas and the Black Messiah”: life and liberation

GABRIJELA SKOKO & 
ANAMIKA KANNAN

Managing MiC Editors

The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
Michigan in Color
6 — Wednesday, February 17, 2021 

