Elegance Bratton's 'By Any Means' Explores 1960s Civil Rights Struggle and Racism
Quick Brief
Elegance Bratton's civil rights drama 'By Any Means' examines the brutal realities of 1960s racism and voter suppression in the American South. The film is inspired by the real-life aftermath of civil rights activist Vernon Dahmer's murder by the Ku Klux Klan. It features Yahya Abdul-Mateen II as an FBI agent and Mark Wahlberg as a Brooklyn mobster tasked with tracking down Klansmen.
What Happened?
Set in Mississippi during the mid-1960s, the film follows Wayne Strider, an FBI agent newly arrived from Chicago who has to navigate bosses turning a blind eye to racist crimes. Following instructions from President Johnson regarding the murder of NAACP chapter head Vernon Dahmer—who promised to cover poll taxes for poor Black voters—Strider is partnered with Brooklyn mobster Gregory Scarpa on an off-book mission to hunt down the Ku Klux Klan.
Why It Matters
The film brings historical attention to the severe brutality of Jim Crow-era racism, voter suppression tactics targeting poor Black communities, and the violent resistance faced by civil rights activists like Vernon Dahmer.
Key Facts
- By Any Means is directed by Elegance Bratton and focuses on the civil rights era in the Jim Crow south.
- The story is inspired by the real-life murder of Hattiesburg, Mississippi NAACP leader Vernon Dahmer.
- Vernon Dahmer was targeted after offering to pay the poll tax fees for Black residents struggling to afford them in January 1966.
- Yahya Abdul-Mateen II stars as Wayne Strider, a local FBI agent recently moved from Chicago.
- Mark Wahlberg co-stars as Gregory Scarpa, a feared Brooklyn mobster brought in for an off-book mission.
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