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As the Rise of the Planet of the Apes, a “re-imagining” of the classic Planet of the Apes movies premieres today in theaters, many are questioning the racial politics and stereotypes that have long fueled the franchise and are still very present in Hollywood.

Combine the discrimination the apes face in the movie with the long-held stereotype that likens Black people to apes themselves, and the Rise of the Planet of the Apes appears to be the latest popular culture portrayal of  race relations in America.

Apes imagined a fictional world 2,000 years in the future where monkeys, gorillas, and other primates take on human features including the sort of racism that the Civil Rights Movement was addressing at the time, only directed at human beings. It’s about how power corrupts and can be used unjustly but one isn’t always aware of the injustice until they experience it for themselves.

Read more at The Grio.

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