“All the power to all the people,” was the resounding message from the film “BlacKkKlansman” shown at 7 p.m. Wednesday in a packed Carver 101.

The 2018 film shows the true story of a black Colorado cop who goes undercover with the Ku Klux Klan.

Placed in the 1970s, Ron Stallworth becomes the first black detective on the Colorado Spring Police Department, but his arrival is met with hostility by the other members of the police force.

Stallworth works to prove himself by infiltrating and exposing the Ku Klux Klan. Posing as a racist extremist, Stallworth teams up with his Jewish co-worker to join the inner circle of the Klan.

Although the film discusses hard-hitting topics, it intertwines laughs with lessons.

Those who attended the screening found the film more personal knowing it was a true story.

“I found the film timely,” said Annmarie Gawel, a graduate student. “It’s a crazy story and it’s so cool that it’s not fiction. The themes of the film are still relevant today.”

At the end of the film, the screen showed images of white supremacist rallies in 2017 and 2018. These included images of violence at white supremacist marches, a car running through a crowd and killing a woman as well as President Donald Trump’s response to the violence at these rallies.

 “It was so powerful,” said Taylor Rahn, freshman in aerospace engineering. “It made me want to cry.” 

A popular theme among students was the similarities of the issues at the time of the movie and now.

“It’s important people remember that, yes, that happened a long time ago, but things like that still happen today and are happening every day,” said Petra Owusu, a freshman in event management.

The screening of the film was one part of the Martin Luther King Jr. university-wide celebration of life and legacy series. Ron Stallworth will be the keynote speaker at 7 p.m. Thursday night in the Sun Room of the Memorial Union.