MARVELous Black Panther

I have not blogged in a very long time because every time I thought about it, what usually came to mind was Washington D.C. and all of the shenanigans surrounding it.

However, FINALLY there is something which has thrilled me beyond belief, and increased my HOPE that good will win.  I saw this movie yesterday and am still thrilled by what I saw.  I loved seeing a young Black girl, so smart, and yet a perfect little sister.  I loved seeing STRONG, BRILLIANT, LOVELY black women as the heroines we really are!

  I loved seeing a Black movie, with a primarily Black cast, in such a positive light.  There was no sex, no violence, no cotton fields, no slave narratives, and none of the other negativity that we usually see.  I remembered the Blackploitation films of the past, and cringed.  Who created and spread those images?  It was encouraging to see FOR US, BY US.

I remember when I visited Africa for the first time, someone there told me that we had been turned against them, and taught that they were savages running around with no clothes, and they had been turned against us by being told that we were here killing each other.  Who spread that?????

I remember Tarzan movies, and I also remember a time that we all believed that that WAS Africa.  Sadly, many, even our own people, still believe that.  I remember the Black and Proud movement, and often wonder what happened to it?  I remember hearing black folks speak disparagingly of Africans, without ever knowing one, or having visited the continent.

 I remember, even us, discriminating because of colorism.  I have seen us, in many instances, becoming our own worst enemies.

NOW, a movie, based upon a comic book, has a chance to change many many things.  This movie showed the wealth of an African nation. It showed the powerful women warriors.  It showed folks who look like me doing great things.  It showed  Oakland and Wakanda, just making an important and powerful connection.  It showed two points of view, both valid, but one more powerful, and meaningful than the other.  It showed two enemies who challenged each other, coming back together.  It showed the legacy of a father, even though the son had to realize that HE was the king now.  That is so important because it showed us that the young must find their own way, using some of what they need from the past, and some of what their present requires.

It showed an abandoned child and all that comes with that--at least he had a chance to see his true homeland and appreciate the beauty of it.  His hurt was so great that he could not get past it.  Sometimes HURT just HURTS.  In the end, however, his town will benefit from what some from his true home, will do for it.

It is my hope that all who see this movie will use it as a starting point for us to come together as we did in the past.  It is my hope that we will know our power, know and EMBRACE our heritage, and realize that all throughout the diaspora, the African blood runs deep. I have seen it all over the world, and there is no denial of it. We ARE African!!! I have seen it in Salvador, in Bahia. I have seen in it Cuba. I have seen it all over the Caribbean. . I have even seen it in South Carolina, which, I believe is the most African like state in the United States.  Even the dialect is West African like.  It thrills me to see those connections.

Let us make WAKANDA a rallying cry, a beacon in the darkness, a call for unity, a return to what made us who we REALLY are. Let us praise our ancestors, and be proud of all they have done to bring us this far.

 As we cross our arms across our chests, LET US ALSO MOVE OUR FEET. #Wakanda Forever!