Ahead of the release of Mass Appeal’s The Invaders on Digital on Nov. 1, we have an exclusive clip to premiere. Featuring Nasir “Nas” Jones as the narrator, the documentary details the rise and fall of a militant Black power group, starting from its roots in 1960s Memphis to their final negotiations with Martin Luther King Jr. minutes before his assassination. Our clip below gets shares some details on why the group chose to call themselves the Invaders.
“At that time, there was this popular show on television called The Invaders,” Invaders co-founder John B. Smith explains.
Fellow co-founder Coby Smith added, “Which was about aliens who came in from outer space to planet Earth, and the reason that was significant was because the kinds of things we were talking about were as alien to our community, as if somebody had brought in these ideas from outer space.”
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Invaders members also talk about what appealed to them about the group. For Juanita Thornton, she thought they were “just cool dudes,” not quite outcasts but “not cast in, either.” Despite concerns from her mother over her wearing her Invaders jacket, Thornton insisted on keeping it on anyway, believing in what the Invaders were fighting for.
“You had a generation that had come up that wasn’t afraid,” says Invader Willie Henry. “You had leadership that had developed programs and put forth things. See, people thought that we was thugs in the street. That’s a lie.”
The Invaders Details the Rise of the Black Power Militant Group
Mass Appeal
The Invaders features interviews with key members of The Invaders, such as John B. Smith, Coby Smith, Charles Cabbage, and John Gary Williams. The film is directed by Prichard Smith. In addition to narrating, Nas executive produced the doc with Yo Gotti, Craig Brewer, Peter Bittenbender, and Emmy-nominated filmmaker Sacha Jenkins.
The movie explores themes of race, government surveillance, and economic injustice. The official synopsis reads:
You can watch the full trailer for The Invaders below, courtesy of Mass Appeal on YouTube.
The Invaders follows the rise and fall of a militant black power group based in Memphis, TN in the late 1960’s. Inspired by militant black leaders like Malcolm X and Stokely Carmichael, a new, radicalized generation of civil rights activists made up of young college students, Vietnam vets, musicians, and intellectuals emerged in Memphis in 1967. The Invaders uncovers the history and significance of the often-overlooked group, detailing their direct involvement with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in the pivotal hours leading up to his assassination. The Invaders touches on themes of race, government surveillance and economic injustice. The film offers a unique perspective on the 1968 Memphis Sanitation Strike by emphasizing the role of resident youth in the movement, as well as focusing on the function of poverty and economic disparity in Memphis.
