The blaxploitation cycle of the early 1970s was, in many ways, Hollywood’s somewhat awkward attempt to appear “cool” to a burgeoning, anti-establishment Boomer audience. By appropriating themes of Black empowerment and anti-racism, these films offered a veneer of “sticking it to the Man” that was commercially palatable. A select few within the genre pushed further, layering in feminist ideals, and a prime example of…






