Inspiration, Mourning, and Ableism: How Do We Properly Honor Chadwick Boseman?
Chadwick Boseman did not yield. But he deserved a world that would’ve let him yield. He deserved a world that would’ve loved him if he did. "I never yielded! And as you can see: I am not dead." Chadwick Boseman died on
‘Black Panther’ And ‘Thor: Ragnarok’ Are Political Parallels, But White People Only Complain About One
To say that Black Panther is needlessly political is not only a critique mired in anti-Blackness but an insult to superhero narratives as a whole. This essay contains spoilers for Marvel's Black Panther and Thor: Ragnarok Black History Month 2018 saw
10 Must-See Black-Led Films from the 2010s
These Black-led films reflect the turbulent times we were and are in, and each of them helps us reflect, rejoice, and escape. The 2010s feel like they were comprised of three decades, all stuffed into one. With its default setting being
The Black Feminist Argument for ‘Black Panther’
The “Black Panther” narrative allows Black women to be both angry and tender, both strong and vulnerable, both independent and interdependent on each other and those around them.
[This essay contains spoilers for Marvel's “Black Panther”] “Black Panther” is not your typical superhero blockbuster. It's a political epic, it's Black as fuck, it's critical of white supremacy, colonialism, and imperialism, and it delivers a monumental story about the tension between Black Americans and continental Africans. Setting up a battle between young King T'Challa (Chadwick Boseman) and N'Jadaka (Michael B. Jordan), nicknamed Killmonger for the many lives he seemed to enjoy taking during his time as a CIA operative, it tells this story in a way that subverts expectations about both Blackness and Africa on film. What it also does is magnify the Black women within the story, and that is something that should not be considered secondary to its other achievements, because the Black women of “Black Panther” are central to its narrative and ultimately determine the direction that it takes. Not only are Shuri, Okoye, and Nakia each integral to the plot, driving the story with their actions, voices, and decisions, but their characters also provide positive, determined, and humanized images of Black women and girls. These are characters who are multifaceted, imperfect, capable, intelligent, and authentic. I see myself and the Black women and girls that I have the privilege of knowing reflected in the characters of “Black Panther,” and that, unfortunately, is something that I cannot say often enough about Black women in media. [caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="610"]
