American Dope: White Powder, Black Power (2018)

Slavery had been over 100 years before large amounts of capital flowed into Black America for the first time- and it came from illegal drugs. Like the Italian, Irish, and Jewish, families that made their fortune during Prohibition- including the Crooked Kennedy's- a handful of Black Gangsters and their families went from rags to riches seemingly overnight. But it was a wild and violent ride, coinciding with high tide for the Civil Rights movement. The Superflys and Kingpins were often at odds with Pro-Black militant movements, and often in league with corrupt white law enforcement who allowed illegal drugs to take over the economy and society of places like Harlem...as long as they got their cut. White Powder, Black Power is the story of how the illegal drug economy was the first truly significant capital building tool for African Americans. All made possible by political decisions in Washington D.C. and at CIA headquarters. with more money, more murders, than even the Prohibition Gangster era- and with long-lasting consequences that haunt our urban landscapes to this day.