“The Big Cigar”: The known and unknown history of Huey P. Newton

“Change comes in many forms,” these are the words that Andre Holland’s Huey P. Newton speaks to his father, Walter Newton, played by television alumnus Glynn Turman, when talking about what it will take to bring change to society. On Tuesday, May 14th, the Gathering Spot played host to a screening of the Apple TV+ series The Big Cigar. The screening room featured multiple props such as a wicker chair for attendees to take pictures with multiple props. The show chronicles the story of Huey P. Newton, co-founder of the Black Panther Party, escaping to Cuba following allegations of him murdering a 17-year-old prostitute, Kathleen Smith in the early 70s.  The first two episodes, directed by film and television star Don Cheadle, the title sequence features footage showing the main cast during moments in their characters’ lives, as well as archived footage of the turbulence during the early 70s and late 60s. The opening scene with Holland’s Newton narrating speaks on the contradiction of being free only after escaping America. In the first 10 minutes of the show, we are immediately thrust into the world with Newton and his wife showing up on the door of Hollywood Producer Bery Schneider...