Marvel’s Black Panther is a cultural phenomenon, a historic box office success that’s brought in rave reviews and sparked conversation all over social media and traditional media alike. There are no signs of the excitement abating, either, as the conversation about the film has evolved from discussions about the importance of representation into something grander: a rather groundbreaking celebration of black culture.
With an all-star collection of majority black talent both in front of and behind the camera, Black Panther, under the direction of Ryan Coogler (Fruitvale Station, Creed), is about more than the latest superhero’s journey; it’s also about black culture’s journey, and it points toward a future where it could be the culture. It acknowledges and celebrates everything from traditional African society to African-American political debates, from the power and beauty of black women to the preservation of identity, all within the lush confines of the fictional African nation of Wakanda.
All told, Black Panther’s greatest legacy may not be what it’s done for Marvel, Hollywood, or box office records, but what it’s done for the culture. In Wakanda, which offers much to marvel at for audiences of all backgrounds, black viewers in particular have found a cultural oasis that feels like nothing we’ve seen before.
Black Panther celebrates black culture on several fronts
Black Panther is in many ways a love letter to black culture. Africa has traditionally been an unsophisticated bit player in American media, often portrayed as backward, savage, and chaotic in everything from news coverage to films. It’s a portrayal that has left little room for other interpretations, which is why Black Panther’s vision of Wakanda as a bustling metropolis of vibranium-powered futuristic skyscrapers, racing trains, and soaring spaceships feels so refreshing.
Marvel movies often take place in grand, imaginative locales, like Thor’s Asgard or Guardians of the Galaxy’s far-flung planets. But nothing has been quite as audacious and poignant as Wakanda, a vision of Africa that feels indebted to both Jack Kirby and Octavia Butler, home to a thriving black population that represents our collective ingenuity and beauty. As a testament to black empowerment, Black Panther is an important artifact, but it’s also, quite simply, a big draw for black moviegoers starved for this sort of vision.
It’s not just Wakanda’s skyline that makes an impact, though; the film drew on a team of designers and stylists to showcase a very specific, beautiful black aesthetic. In an interview with the New York Times, Camille Friend, who oversaw the various hair designs of what she calls “a totally Afrocentric, natural hair movie,” said the entire production was considered against a backdrop of a bigger black cultural moment: “We’re in a moment when people are feeling empowered about being black,” she says. “The hair helps communicate that.”
Like the film’s hair, Black Panther’s costuming was an opportunity to infuse meaning and pride into the movie. As the film’s head costume designer, Ruth Carter, shared with NPR, the costumes, like Wakanda itself, needed to evoke a place and people that had “never been colonized, one that looked toward the future but was based on a real past.”
“14 References You Probably Missed While Watching “Black Panther” For The First Time”
https://www.buzzfeed.com/luisdelvalle/black-panther-references?utm_term=.dxBQVYbE21#.oqpjopkrqw
https://twitter.com/theGrio/status/966704012304281600
BLACK PANTHER Sibling Rivalry
https://twitter.com/RawStory/status/967400197721677824
https://twitter.com/MoorInformation/status/967297319975751681
Perfect teeth! Beautiful faces!
https://twitter.com/ChocCityComics/status/967397774508609537
“2 Weeks After Trump Blocked It, Democrats Release Rebuttal of G.O.P. Memo”
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/2-weeks-after-trump-blocked-it-democrats-release-rebuttal-of-gop-memo/ar-BBJx99H?li=BBnb7Kz&ocid=mailsignout
https://twitter.com/thepIug/status/967479948788330497
Twitter #BlackPantherFanArt hashtag has some great art by fans.
https://twitter.com/patrickgaspard/status/967549545256226816
https://twitter.com/3ChicsPolitico/status/967541555845369857
https://twitter.com/3ChicsPolitico/status/967540075469864960
https://twitter.com/3ChicsPolitico/status/967539021416206336
Oh, how beautiful!
https://twitter.com/Lupita_Nyongo/status/967468893391396864
https://twitter.com/MSNBC/status/967417242962063360
https://twitter.com/nhannahjones/status/967396156883030016
Black Florida woman receives lynching threat from ‘Whites 4 Trump’ after argument about Parkland
24 FEB 2018 AT 09:02 ET
Law enforcement in Florida are investigating an incident of workplace racism by a supporter of President Donald Trump, WTSP reported Saturday.
Terri Silar, who is black, said it started earlier this week when several co-workers were discussing gun control and President Trump in the wake of the Parking shooting massacre.
The next day, she found a monkey stuffed animal with a noose around its neck hanging from her office chair.
There was a racist note attached to the monkey.
“You are getting deported back to Africa n****r and that will make America great again,” the note read.
The threat was signed, “Whites 4 Trump.”
A note on her monitor read, “n****r b*tch.”
“I was shocked, but most of all I was hurt,” Silar told WTSP.
“I felt threatened. I didn’t feel safe. For someone to be that bold. That is a blatant boldness and a hate crime,” Silar explained. “It is a monkey with a noose around its neck. What message do you think I’m going to take from that?”
http://www.wtsp.com/article/news/crime/tampa-woman-says-monkey-with-noose-racist-note-left-on-her-desk/67-522778291
https://twitter.com/weier1231997/status/967391054281424897
https://twitter.com/kalhan/status/967011910599274496
https://twitter.com/JamesFourM/status/967265938155458560
https://twitter.com/nowthisnews/status/967301321169629184
He’s a cutie. Who is he?
https://twitter.com/CharlesMBlow/status/967457214104592384
https://twitter.com/JoyAnnReid/status/967253198326116352
https://twitter.com/yeswecanty/status/967165147717419009
https://twitter.com/MorganJerkins/status/967142516985282560
https://twitter.com/BerniceKing/status/967463800097132545
https://twitter.com/ScottMendelson/status/967416889151389698
https://twitter.com/dartmouth/status/967066094610640896/photo/1
https://twitter.com/jamesxxcc/status/967327286231027712
Congrats team USA! Hubby & I used to go to local curling events in Toronto.
https://twitter.com/kylegriffin1/status/967488258207879169
Elections have CONSEQUENCES
https://twitter.com/mattmfm/status/967474049013121027
INSANE.
Raising money for his legal defense, before he’s impeached or jailed.
THERE, FIXED IT
https://twitter.com/Jenne_RoW/status/967443063013593088
https://twitter.com/pwnallthethings/status/967505986989756417
https://twitter.com/theGrio/status/967459408908341248
‘Get these ni****rs on the bus!”: Wisconsin high school accused of chanting racist insults during basketball game
24 FEB 2018 AT 15:23 ET
For the second time in a month, a Wisconsin high school is being protested for racism directed at students of color.
According to the report, students from Horlick High School in Racine had traveled to Franklin, Wisconsin for a basketball game Friday night and were greeted with abusive chants during the game.
“I felt so disrespected out of what they had done,” Horlick varsity basketball player Stephon Chapmon explained. “As I was shooting, they started making the monkey noises and it like threw me like completely off.”
“We all felt disrespected,” his teammate, Marquise Milton, added.
“On our way to get on the bus, they were like ‘get these ni****rs on the bus,’ and we were like ‘what?’ And he was like, ‘you all heard me, get on the bus.’”
http://fox6now.com/2018/02/23/we-all-felt-disrespected-franklin-hs-students-accused-of-chanting-racist-insults-during-basketball-game/
WELL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H2GVQINHfVM
Mona be like
Remember 53% of white wimmens voted for DUMPSTER
Tell it, DL
https://youtu.be/IoEp-Y7VSsE
Southern, did you gain any more insight on your second viewing?
Hi Vitamin, I had mostly read up on different things before the second viewing, like why Black Panther, Nakia and Okoye had black, red and green on in the casino fight scene and what it represented. I thought I heard a little music from Shaka Zulu played.
I loved Shaka Zulu. I have it on old school video tape and the dvd set. Now the dvd set deleted many parts that I have on my old school video.
I’ve been searching clips from Shaka Zulu but can’t find it. The music I’m searching for is played after he becomes King during the celebration.
I think I found it, Vitamin.
From Black Panther: The music starts around 17:16
Shaka Zulu around…the music starts around 2:27:00
Listen to see if it’s the same
https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=1038&v=Am4PB9sNdU0
Why yes it does! marvelous!
WAKANDA FOREVER….
ALWAYS & FOREVER….
That was our wedding song! (smile)
Lupita Nyong’o – Why “Black Panther” Is a Different Kind of Superhero Movie
https://twitter.com/3ChicsPolitico/status/967471968093114368
Black Panther rescued the Chibok girls in Sambisa forest…..
https://twitter.com/Doctor_Hue/status/966718639524196352
NO SHIT SHERLOCK
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ikoKe1pLIfE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7-FSrL6Jhpw
When did Michael Steele wake up?
His eyes opened to his party after Trump.
M’Baku!
Black Panther showed how T’Challa SHARED the wealth & KNOWLEDGE of Wakanda vs thieves ascending upon it to pillage, steal, etc.
T’Challa blends great power with a caring heart, the combination of which results in a great leader.
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/42w787V3WLW7rsaJKzaLSV-480-80.jpg
I like that Nakia and Shuri are nearby to influence T’Challa.
So adorable!
She is absolutely precious!!!
Let’s hold out that David Hogg’s future journalism skills don’t get TAINTED.
Because God only knows what folks are learning in journalism schools, colleges, etc.
ALL.OF.THIS.
MOFO can’t, won’t ANSWER THE QUESTION
https://twitter.com/ShannonSharpe/status/967433092163035136
Delta and United cut ties with the NRA
Delta Air Lines announced Saturday that it’s ending discounted rates for NRA members.
United Airlines followed a short time later, saying the company will no longer offer discounts on flights to the NRA annual meeting.
The two major airlines join a growing list of companies that have ended their partnerships with the National Rifle Association in recent days.
http://money.cnn.com/2018/02/23/news/companies/enterprise-nra-car-rental-discounts/index.html
https://twitter.com/Njadakastan/status/967163841779027969
Such amazing talent!
Reposting….
https://twitter.com/TheRoot/status/967429012980199424
SHURI = 21ST CENTURY STEM QUEEN!
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/02/22/opinion/new-jersey-voting-rights-felons.html
“Budget Cuts Are Putting More Kids in Foster Care”
https://talkpoverty.org/2018/02/23/budget-cuts-putting-kids-foster-care/
Excerpt:
Thank you so much for highlighting Black Panther this week. It has been a joy to read these posts.😄
WAKANDA FOREVER 🙌🙌
WAKANDA FOREVER!
I concur with Rikyrah, SG2. Your post have been stellar! Thank you so much. :-)))
Yes, your posts were so great, SG2! I enjoyed every single one of them!!!
@rikyrah There is so much to tell and not enough time…. images, scenery, culture, music, artifacts. I can’t describe my feelings seeing such beautiful meadows, hills etc. Yes I want to go the fictional place called Wakanda.
Good Morning Everyone 😄😄😄
Legend Has It. Run The Jewels (Black Panther Trailer Music)
Black Panther | Full Album Soundtrack
Good morning, everyone.
I can’t wait until Black Panther comes out on DVD. It’s too good!
I can’t wait for the DVD with the Director’s Cut.
How was your second viewing last night?
It was just as awesome!
Good Morning, Everyone. I’m going to see Black Panther again this evening, and possibly tomorrow. I love this movie and I want to see it completely BLAST as many records as it can at the box office.
And it can’t come out on DVD soon enough for me, but I know it’s got to get it’s due in the theaters first.
That is so exciting! Have a great time!!!