the ’emperor’ trailer reframes the american slave narrative

Now, this is a Black History moment that I can fully support. I never knew who Shields “Emperor” Green was until I saw this trailer for the upcoming film Emperor (in theaters March 27, 2020). Green is a real-life super hero — and this film shows him as a Black action hero and victor, not a stereotypical victim of racism. He was born into slavery in South Carolina, but escaped as an adult and made his way to freedom in Rochester, New York. It was there that he met abolitionist Frederick Douglass and, in turn, met John Brown who lead the Harper’s Ferry Raid in 1859 — an armed slave revolt that served as a precursor to the Civil War — which Green participated in. Emperor tells the story of a descendant of African kings turned freedom fighter in the struggle for Black Liberation.

Produced by Oscar-nominated filmmaker Reginald Hudlin (The Black Godfather, Django Unchained), Emperor stars Dayo Okeniyi (Terminator Genisys, Shades of Blue), Naturi Naughton (Power), Kat Graham (The Vampire Diaries), Mykelti Williamson (Fences), Oscar-nominee James Cromwell (Babe, Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom), and Oscar-nominee Bruce Dern (Nebraska, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood). Emperor is directed by Mark Amin (The Good Kill, Frida) from a script by Amin and Pat Charles (Black Lightning, Sons of Anarchy).

Check out the trailer and see what a true revolutionary who fearlessly resisted looks like.