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Final Summary

In summation I reviewed three different sources of media and analyzed the multicultural/ethnic/diverse factors of each. First I reviewed a television series called How To Get Away With Murder, which was not very applicable for this class in my opinion. Second I reviewed Shaka King’s Judas and the Black Messiah, I felt this film was a strongly relevant piece of media with respect to the class. Thirdly I reviewed the website BlackLivesMatter.com which is ran and funded by the Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation, I was able to find a large amount of data that is relevant to the class. 

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This is the description on blacklivesmatter.com about page, and I have to be honest, until I saw the website I thought this was just a social movement and phrase that people said when referring to the social and racial wrongs done to the black communities over the years, I didn't realize there was a formal organization. "#BlackLivesMatter was founded in 2013 in response to the acquittal of Trayvon Martin's murderer. Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation, Inc. is a global organization in the US, UK, and Canada, whose mission is to eradicate white supremacy and build local power tp intervene in violence inflicted on black communities by the state and vigilantes. By combating violence, creating space for Black imagination and innovation, and centering Black joy, we are winning immediate improvements in our lives."

The foundation aims to aid the Black Lives Matter movement in a number of ways. Through the site one can donate to the cause, find information on a number of different related topics, and currently view an MLK artist series. There is also a page dedicated to outlining the global actions taken by Black Lives Matter Movement advocates and organizations. Much of the organization's page is dedicated to the ending of things like the 1033 program in the police force, which allows for a flow military equipment to police forces.

The website/foundation/movement of course generates a conversation of race, ethnicity and cultural diversity. In particular the MLK artist series is quite interesting. Perusing through the artist series one might find paintings, poems, music, and talks all about black progress and the long journey towards social equality. Much of the art references self-reflection and identity recognition.

Derek Adams Painting of Martin and Coretta King

https://blacklivesmatter.com/global-actions/

https://blacklivesmatter.com/

https://blacklivesmatter.com/blmgn-mlk-artist-series/?__cf_chl_jschl_tk__=pmd_443d5a765dfaa078391fb3912d7371d27a950091-1627257677-0-gqNtZGzNAiKjcnBszQq6

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Judas and the Black Messiah is a February 2021 film written by Shaka King, the Lucas brothers and Will Berson, and directed by Shaka king. The film details the life and demise of Fred Hampton and the role of FBI informant William O'Neal in the killing of Fred Hampton. A prominent civil rights activist and Black Panther Party leader in the 1960's Hampton was a driving catalyst in the movement towards equality and cooperative integration. The film follows Hampton on his quest to unite a front disenfranchised cultural groups coined the Rainbow Coalition whose aims were towards antiracism, and positive multiculturalism. The Rainbow Coalition originally consisted of the Black Panthers, the Young Patriots Organization, and the Young Lords, but as the movement grew other groups like the Students for a Democratic Society and the American Indian, the Brown Berets and a few others.

The film does a fantastic job depicting each group and even each persons cultural identity. In the time period of the film racial tensions were extremely high and the fight against racism was (and often still is) a bloody and toilsome battle. Due to such a degraded social structure a large number of minority groups were becoming fed up with current social standards and prejudices. In this tumultuous moment in society Fred Hampton saw an opportunity to bring together a number of these alienated minority groups and this fact was undoubtably a threat to White idealistic members of the FBI and other branches of the government. To neutralize this perceived threat, the FBI had Fred Hampton assassinated by the Chicago police in his bed because of how gravely they feared the possibility of socialism but more importantly how much they feared multiculturalism and racial equality. Today the fight that Fred Hampton fought continues on with his son and widowed wife, still leaders and activists in the movement towards equality and positive multiculturalism.

Judas and the Black Messiah does a wonderful job generating a conversation regarding cultural diversity and the messy multicultural history of America. There is always much to be learned from historical films like this, I found it to be quite educating and very well made.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hmw7aY7Ul_o

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How To Get Away With Murder is about an African American woman, Annalise Keating who is an attorney and teaches an introductory course in a law school. The show follows her and a group of students as they wade through the mirky waters of deception and treachery that accompanies murder. The show doesn't seem to directly relate to race or multiculturalism other than the fact that the main character is an African American women in a position of power, and that the group of students she mentors is somewhat diverse. I don't particularly see many ways to connect this show to the class and our readings without grasping at straws. One thing that could be observed is the portrayal of each character's cultural identities. For example Laurel, one of Annalise's mentees, was raised in a wealthy Catholic Mexican family with dubious background. Another one of Annalise's mentees, Wes, an African American student, grew up in foster care because his mother committed suicide due to a case that Annalise happened to be working on. The show really only somewhat provides a look at racial and ethnic identities for the characters. I am surprised that this show was on the list of suggestions, because I feel like it's much more about the actions of those in the drama than it is about their cultures or ethnicities. Granted, our culture and ethnicity have a large impact on the way in which we all live our lives and most likely on the way in which the characters live their lives, but I do not feel like this is a main theme or element in the show. For me, it does not really spark a conversation about race and culture, other than the fact that the main character is an African American women of prominence, which is still not to be minimized, but at the same time I don't feel that it delves much into racial, cultural or ethnic topics. Looking past the surface and looking at the characters as a whole, each of them have a different cultural and ethnic background and each a fairly a different upbringing, so one could say that the cast is fairly multicultural and diverse.

-How to get away with murder (2014)

Created by Peter Nowalk. Produced by Shonda Rhimes.

Starring Viola Davis, Jack Falahee and more.

https://www.netflix.com/watch/80024057?trackId=13752289&tctx=0%2C7%2Cc98be475fbe98bf08ef0aa8cb2facefd48c98dc5%3A98e91473d553a36fa5f294e5cf86c55cda6436b9%2Cc98be475fbe98bf08ef0aa8cb2facefd48c98dc5%3A98e91473d553a36fa5f294e5cf86c55cda6436b9%2Cunknown%2C

https://variety.com/2015/tv/news/how-to-get-away-with-murder-bonnie-killer-rebecca-annalise-shot-dead-1201602047/