Racial Discrimination and Resistance in Judas and the Black Messiah Film

Deden Dailami Majid

doi:10.20527/jetall.v7i1.17419

Racial Discrimination and Resistance in Judas and the Black Messiah Film

Deden Dailami Majid

Abstract

Judas and the Black Messiah reflects the real events focusing on O’Neal’s betrayal to Hampton in the late 1960s directed by Shaka King. This research aims to determine the racial discrimination towards the black characters and resistance strategies in the Judas and the Black Messiah (2021). In this research, the writer applied a qualitative research method with a descriptive analysis technique in analyzing the data. Furthermore, in this research, the writer utilized Racial Discrimination theory proposed by Rebecca M. Blank and Marilyn Dabady to examine the racial discrimination against the black characters. The results show black characters facing racial discrimination on a daily basis in three forms, such as in Explicit Discrimination, Statistical Discrimination and Profiling, and Organizational Processes. The members of the Black Panther Party are labeled as a group of criminals by the government and stated as a threat to national security. Thus, this makes the black characters have to suffer on a daily basis through physical attack from the police and often receive racial slurs. Nevertheless, the result also portrays the black characters in utilizing the resistance strategies to fight against racial discrimination. There are several strategies utilized by the black characters, such as Political Education, Coalition Building, Direct Actions and Protests, and Empowerment Through Leadership. It attempts to fight back against injustice treatment and government oppression of minorities.

Keywords: Black Characters, Racial Discrimination, Racism, Resistance Strategies

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