Happy Black History Month! The Lord has blessed us with a special something this February by giving us the best super-hero movie ever, yes ever.  I will try and not give away any spoilers but this movie was so wonderful when it ended I wanted to cry not out of sadness but joy. I’ve never read any of the comics and I only know about the Marvel Universe from the movies but I will say that this was one of the easier movies to understand even without prior knowledge.

First, this cast was amazing! We all know the talent of Chadwick Boseman and Lupita, Angela Bassest, Forest Whittaker, Daniel Kaluuya and all the other beautiful melanin filled actors that are in this film, but Michael B. Jordan and Letitia Wright were the breakout stars in this film.  Michael’s Portrayal of Killmonger gave us the most fully-fleshed out villain I’ve ever seen in a Marvel movie or maybe any super-hero movie. The knowledge he was constantly dropping about colonization and the plight of Africans and those of African descent around the world helped to make him more than just a power-hungry villain.  He’s an amazing actor and this film really helps to showcase his talent. The other breakout star was Letitia Wright who plays Shuri, Black Panther’s sister, is the definition of goals. Smart, fearless, and witty she is the kind of princess young girls should have been watching for years. Her technology makes Tony Stark look like the 50’s.  I was living for all her scenes and will be keeping a watchful eye for more work from her in the future.

Wakanda. I want to buy a one-way ticket to Wakanda so my skin can be blessed and my closet made over because they were giving me all types of life. Wakanda is what I imagine the African continent could have become if it wasn’t pilfered by colonization. We will never fully know what an entire group of people could have been because they were destroyed and then left like their entire way of life wasn’t obliterated. But Wakanda represents an Africa that was left unto itself. A nation isolated from the outside world that didn’t give up their resources. Think about the broader message behind that. How much of Africa’s resources have been stolen? Not just it’s natural resources but it’s people. Forever changing the landscape and shaping the history of every African nation.  It was truly inspiring as an African-American to see an Africa where no one needs to be saved by anyone but themselves. We are kings and queens which is what we were before and what we always have been. When someone else writes the narrative, the story will always benefit the narrator. Africa has always been depicted as needing help because it helps to justify slavery. Even though Wakanda isn’t a real place, the story behind it is. Leave us alone and watch us thrive beyond your wildest imagination.

All the women in this movie were giving us all types of #blackgirlmagic. No one needed to be saved. They were intelligent, strong, and beautiful without making their looks part of their necessary charm. It’s not often that we see women portrayed in this way and I must say that as a woman I felt so inspired. I noticed a little pep in my step as I was walking home, no one could tell me nothing last night!

Ryan Coolidge, Black Panther’s director did an amazing job of not only showcasing the beauty of Wakanda, but also in delivering a strong message about the history behind colonization, broken homes, and the paths that you can choose to take in life. There are so many gems in this movie, I need to see it again to find all of them. I will be buying the DVD and a DVD player to watch it. No waiting for Netflix, or renting I need to own this for posterity.

I think what made the movie that much more beautiful was seeing it with all my black people. Everyone was showing up and showing out.  We all understand the importance of representation and to see a movie where we were represented so well means so much. I loved seeing everyone in our hats, wraps, skirts, dresses, and dashikis.

I cannot say it enough, take everyone you know to see Black Panther. See it 2,3,4,5 times. See it with different people. See it by yourself. Just go see it again (cuz at this point you should have seen it already). Wakanda Forever