blacks in sci-fi
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Watch: Fast Color Trailer Shows Black Mamas Really Are Superheroes
When was the first time you realized your black mama was a superhero? I think this became more apparent for me in hindsight (particularly, in adulthood, when I could fully appreciate how badass she is) when I mused over the way she was able to hold shit down even when it seemed bleak—and I mean…
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Zoe Kravitz Literally Embodies Black Girl Magic In Bewitching New Fantastic Beasts Sequel
“I hope young brown people see the movie and see a reflection of themselves and feel included and represented.” text The magical world of Harry Potter just got a little blacker. Zoe Kravitz plays Leta Lestrange in the new Fantastic Beasts sequel, much to the delight of #BlackHogwarts. And considering the previous backlash and erasure…
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Black Girl Magic and Black Boy Joy Hit Platform 9 3/4, and #BlackHogwarts Was Born
Although we now have Black Panther, Black Mirror and A Wrinkle in Time—films that, in fact, employ black actors to play black characters—a few years back, black folks in mainstream sci-fi and fantasy were few and far between. As Ashley Nkadi recently wrote for The Root, we were usually “erased” from these genres, though rich racial…
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A Guide to Fantasy and Science Fiction Made for Black People, by Black People
Last week, Marvel unveiled a line of Black Panther character posters that snatched the souls out of every living melanated human being. Black Panther (1966) was the first black superhero in mainstream American comics, later followed by characters such as Luke Cage (1972) and Black Lightning (1977). Although Marvel’s comics feature myriad characters varying in…
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Why Is Society Intent on Erasing Black People in Fantasy and Sci-fi’s Imaginary Worlds?
Over the weekend I binge-watched 3%, a dystopian sci-fi Netflix original set in Brazil. The plot was rife with quirks and unexpected turns, but the biggest surprise of all was that the diversity in the show reflected the diversity in Brazil. The cast featured myriad shades and races, absent the stereotypical casting, such as the…