“[They] were saying ‘no’ through [their] hair,” says Rebecca Woodfork, who also worked on Marvel’s Black Panther. “The breakaway from harsh chemicals [to] embracing the natural texture of black hair was much deeper than a breakup from a partner. For black American revolutionaries, such as the Black Panthers, it was a breakup from America.”
She says that it was a new chapter of a hair journey that had been weaponised since the beginning of slavery. The Black Panthers subverted the expectations placed on black hair.
“During this time the relaxers and chemicals that did not celebrate our natural hair textures were no longer going to be the status quo,” Woodfork says. “Making this statement was empowering and defied the demands put upon people of color in America.”
Hip hop artist and writer Akala talks to Shaka King, LaKeith Stanfield, Daniel Kaluuya and Dominique Fishback about their new film Judas and the Black Messiah, and how they found their way into the characters at the heart of the electrifying biographical drama.
Creating the look of Judas and the Black Messiah
Costume designer Charlese Antoinette Jones, hair department head Rebecca Woodfork and make-up department head Siân Richards talk to Matimba Kabalika about their work on Judas and the Black Messiah, and the joys and challenges of authentically recreating the world of the Black Panthers and 1960s Chicago.
The journey to screen