You would have to be hiding under a rock, not to know the spectacular movie by Marvel comics "Black Panther" which was released in theaters back on February 16th. The movie was a great one with action, good story line, and a glorious display of Black people as Kings, Queens, through the lenses of beauty, strength, and intelligence. It was set in the fictitious country of Wakanda in the motherland continent of Africa. The country had a sacred and most powerful resource known to earth Vibranium which was a source of power to the Black Panther and their technological advancement over the rest of the civilize world. The resource was hidden along with country itself from the rest of the world because of the corruption. So to the naked eye, it seemed like a poor, desolate, rural country in Africa to the rest of the United Nations.
Prince Tchalla was the heir to throne and also the Black Panther fighting injustice in other parts of Africa. Once he went through the ritual in becoming the king, he was influence by the love of his life Nakia about helping other people of color around the world with the precious powerful resource Wakanda possessed. Though hesitant at first it took some adversity abroad and internally in order for his eyes to open for the need to help others outside of Wakanda and still protect his people as well. There is a lot more to the movie but I am not going to spoil it for anyone reading who hasn't seen it yet.
The symbolism here is broad but let me break it down. First the fictional resource Vibranium that is in possession of the people of Wakanda to me represent the resource we as black people have all across the world. That resource is our physical, mental, and spiritual gifts given to us by GOD that has been instrumental with contributions to society at large since the beginning of time. Examples can be seen through sports, art, music, medicine, and overcoming slavery and social injustice still to this day. Black people alone in the United States according to Black Enterprise spending power is 1.1 trillion dollars and projected to rise towards 2 trillion by the year 2021 which is three years away. Now take that number and flip it to investing instead of consumerism and you will truly have a Wakanda community in reality not just on the silver screen. Let's move from economics to the social aspect, eliminating crime in all its forms, violence, drugs from our communities. This will display a sense of pride and truly take the shackles off the mentality embedded from many years of social injustice such as slavery, Jim crow, mass incarceration, police brutality to name a few. This has to start with every black man, woman, and child in order for it to become a reality. We must love who we see in the mirror and extend that to our fellow brother and sister or else we are just left with false pride and goosebumps from a fictitious super hero movie that gave a glimpse of what people of color are which is royalty and love by GOD.
The bible says in Proverbs 29:18, "Where there is no vision the people cast off restraint; but blessed is the one who heeds wisdom's instruction."
Poetic Thought:
Black people full of culture and influence,
Endured many atrocities with no Aflac, no accident, no insurance,
Rich with melanin in our skin, and resiliency in our heart,
Change the dynamics of any endeavor we put our mind to and start,
Take a drink from the river of life like a deer with antlers,
Chosen people of GOD, everyday lets become our own Black Panther! ~ JD
My hope is that we take away more than goosebumps from the movie and really put in the work to change every community into a real life Wakanda economically, socially, spiritually, and culturally for the next generation after us. In a few days this will be the 5th anniversary I started this blog back in 2013. I want to thank everyone who has ever taken the time to read it. I truly appreciate you! Until the next time, class dismiss!!!
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