Black Panther is on the verge of becoming the most successful film with a primarily black cast. The film is filled with black excellence and power, and it’s beyond fulfilling.
Many black children, including myself, grew up without seeing positive black representation in films and on TV, as if black people never contributed to society. Even so, when they are shown, they are often portrayed as the main character’s foolish friend or as the underprivileged, low-life criminal who is never taken seriously. Movies and TV shows ranging from “The Color Purple” to “Girl Meets World” are black oriented films that dehumanize and underplay blacks as a whole.
The movie is a great depiction of capability that if black people are given the opportunity more often than not, they could go above and beyond. Black representation is extremely important through all aspects of life on TV and in books. Jason Reynolds, a best-selling author, grew up without reading a single novel because he believed that there was no way that he could relate to the stories of “Moby Dick” by Charles Dickens and others books like it with far fetched tales.
There is so much beauty in the world. There are so many different stories to tell not just within a particular country, or a particular culture, but even in just a single person. This film gives a voice to a group of people that is constantly overlooked in society. This is definitely a step in the right direction. Yes, there should be movies made by and about black people, but that is not the only thing diversity covers. Thinking in such a way limits what diversity actually is. As a community, we need to be inclusive of all stories “to expose the humanness and the connectivity in us all”-Jason Reynolds.