black panther
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Black Panther Inspires Black Brazilians to Occupy White-Dominant Spaces
Black Panther has inspired the Diaspora in myriad ways. The film has been applauded by black people across the world for touching on the complex relationships between Africans and African Americans, for serving up positive images of African culture for global audiences, and for providing a vehicle that allows black people throughout the world to…
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Make Wakanda Real by Embracing Your African Roots
Growing up as a Ghanaian American in Central Massachusetts during the 1980s was a constant series of “firsts.” I checked boxes identifying myself as a “first-generation” American. I was the first child of my African immigrant parents to take ballet and gymnastic classes. I was their first Girl Scout, first overpriced prom experience and first…
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So … Will Hollywood Finally Learn This Lesson, or Nah?
When writer-director Jordan Peele won his Best Original Screenplay Oscar for 2017’s biggest hit, Get Out, I cheered. When cast members of 2018’s biggest hit so far, Marvel’s Black Panther, walked the red carpet at the 90th Academy Awards, I swooned. And when I looked out at the sea of (mostly) white people attending the…
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We Love Us: #BlackExcellence Met #BlackElegance at the 2018 Oscars
While there were no big upsets like last year’s last-minute turnover of the award for best picture, the Oscars also weren’t so white this year, as proved by the red carpet of the 90th Academy Awards Sunday night in Hollywood, Calif. Indeed, we made history Sunday night: Mary J. Blige was the first person in…
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All the Stars: The Essence Black Women in Hollywood Awards Made Oscar Week Much More Beautiful
Just when we were longing for last year’s heavily melanated Oscars red carpet, the 11th Annual Essence Black Women in Hollywood Awards luncheon reminds us that our next surprise win may be much sooner than we think … and we can’t wait. The delightful and dynamic assemblage of some of our best and brightest female…
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Watch: Sterling K. Brown on the Success of Black Panther and His Next Career Moves
Who could forget this guy’s performance in Black Panther? Sterling K. Brown is killing everything he touches. He now intends to move forward into writing and directing his own projects as well. “The opportunity to produce, to direct—there’s something very exciting about that potentiality,” Brown says. “It scares the bejesus out of me because I’ve…
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Before There Was Wakanda: Viola Davis and Lupita Nyong’o Will Take Us Back in Time With The Woman King
We know, we know: You’re exhausted by the seemingly never-ending references to Black Panther and the Dora Milaje and black excellence and … this is your cue to exit stage left. You know, to someplace that’s not The Root. For the rest of you, we heard some Women’s History Month news Thursday night that has…
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Black Panther’s Merchant Tribe Elder Started Acting at 88, Proving It’s Never Too Late to Follow Your Dreams
If anyone ever tells you that it’s too late to pick up a new hobby or follow a passion, or change anything about your life, feel free to look them directly in the eye and call them a liar, because this Wakandan elder has proved otherwise. Many of you may not necessarily know Dorothy Steel…
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Knowing Your Place: Why Amandla Stenberg Bowed Out of Auditioning for Black Panther
In the weeks since Black Panther premiered, much has been made of the revelatory experience of seeing such a melanin-rich cast on-screen. Specifically, while the fictional world of Wakanda gave us a glimpse at what black civilization might have been like without European colonization, it also represented a world in which the systemic rape that…
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Chadwick Boseman Surprising Black Panther Fans Is Straight-Up Vibranium-Powered Joy
You know how this works. If we see a video that has us choking with laughter and simultaneously holding back tears at our desks, we’re sharing it with you. We’re sharing it with you because that’s the neighborly thing to do, and so that we’re not the only ones who have to explain our private…