Stokes’ Dilemma centers on Carl Stokes and his historic role in shaping the Black political movement. The film traces his groundbreaking ascent as the first Black mayor of a major U.S. city—Cleveland—and positions his leadership at the heart of America’s Black political awakening. Through Stokes’ experiences and decisions, the film reveals how his mayoralty intersected with the rise of Black Nationalism, relentless FBI surveillance, and the lasting moral and political influence of Martin Luther King Jr., underscoring Stokes’ singular contribution to Black political power and strategy in a pivotal era.
Set against the combustible backdrop of the 1960s, the film traces Stokes’ personal and political evolution as he navigates a city fractured by segregation, rising Black nationalism, and white resistance. Determined to prove that real change could be achieved through electoral power, Stokes walks a perilous line, balancing moral conviction with political survival.
As his mayoral campaign unfolds, Stokes is forced into uneasy relationships with towering figures of the era, including Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and militant Black Nationalist Fred Ahmed Evans. Fearful that King’s presence could cost him white voters, Stokes initially resists the civil rights leader’s arrival in Cleveland in 1967. When King comes anyway, the two men form a tense but consequential alliance — one rooted in shared goals but divergent strategies for change.
Stokes’ historic election victory in November 1967 marks a pinnacle not only for him, but for the promise of Black political power nationwide. Yet his triumph proves fragile. The assassination of Dr. King in April 1968 unleashes forces Stokes can no longer contain. Evans returns to militancy, culminating in the deadliest day in Cleveland police history — a catastrophe that threatens to undo everything Stokes fought to build and accelerates his political fall.
Through rare archival footage, intimate interviews, and evocative storytelling, Stokes’ Dilemma traces the rise and fall of a trailblazing leader who dared to place his faith in democracy amid chaos—and who ultimately faced a haunting question: could justice for Black Americans be secured at the ballot box, or would it be eclipsed by violence?
