[dropcap]E[/dropcap]ver wonder why so many black people seem to abhor their black skin and nappy hair? I imagine many of you are taken aback by the question. You’re probably instinctively contorting your faces and muttering invectives in a knee-jerk disdain at the suggestion of such a thing. But even if you won’t admit it, you know it’s true . . . don’t you? Skin lightening creams and soaps fly off the shelves of supermarkets and drug stores faster than they can be restocked; and women, young and old, who could hardly afford to feed themselves and their families, are shelling out up to seven hundred dollars for authentic Indian and Caucasian weaves. You need only consider the emergence and success of retailers which specialize in the sale of such items to appreciate how popular they are – Diamond Girl, Beauty City, Beauty Max, The Hair Factory, Lucky Cosmetics, etc.
of Wakanda. How times have changed.
An individual’s self-image is subconsciously affected by how those who look like them are portrayed. If particular traits (real or imagined) are constantly linked to specific races, the gap between perception and reality, which could only be responsibly bridged by fact, is compromised, making the two, one and the same. This psychological influence is far-reaching. Even a speck of a rock in the ocean such as Saint Lucia cannot escape its impact. We listen to the music, read the magazines, and watch the TV shows and movies.
The depiction of black people in Hollywood has been controversial since Hattie McDaniel played the house servant, Mammy, in the 1939 big-screen adaptation of Margaret Mitchell’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, Gone with the Wind. Prior to that (and for some time thereafter) blackface was used to depict people of darker skin tone without actually employing any black people. Over time, though many strides have been made in mitigating discrimination and black actors are working significantly more, the roles they are generally successful at obtaining haven’t changed much. They fall into five basic categories: thugs and otherwise shady characters, rags to riches, segregation, servants and comic relief. This has held true even in the case of cinematic successes such as 2011’s The Help and 2014’s Academy Award winner for Best Picture, Twelve Years a Slave.
Then came along the big budget, big screen adaptation of Marvel Comics’ Black Panther. Not only is this film on pace to be a bona fide cinematic juggernaut, it’s centred around a black superhero who is the leader of a technologically advanced, unbelievably wealthy and educated African country. Moreover, it features a mostly black cast and is spearheaded by a black director.
Even before the film hit movie theatres on February 16 there were indications of its impending cinematic impact. It held a 97% on Rotten Tomatoes, a 4.18 out of 5 on ComicBooks.com’s Anticipation Rating, and had ticket retailer Fandango’s largest presale ever for a non-Star Wars film.
As impressive as its financial success has been, the cultural impact of what this success represents is of much greater import. Walt Disney Studios’ $200 million gamble on this irregular view of black people indicates a willingness to see us as more than merely thugs, servants or buffoons. Additionally, the fact that the gamble is paying off so royally means that the world (a significant portion in any event) is receptive to that view. This marks a shift in the way the black ethos is considered.
Many involved with the project, and fans, took to Twitter using the hashtag ‘WhatBlackPantherMeansToMe’ to express the ways they were inspired by the movie. The film’s director, Mathew A Cherry tweeted, “It means that my kids and young black kids everywhere will see themselves as heroes capable of leading their own narratives.”
“When I saw the cast of women, all my complexion or darker, none sexualized or demonized because of it, and it wasn’t a film about slavery or drug addiction, I cried,” tweeted an enthused moviegoer.
“What you’re seeing in this movie is African people not explaining themselves based upon European structure or according to a European timeline. Usually anytime we tell a story, it starts after slavery or starts because of slavery and colonialism,” lead actor Boseman explained.
Leaders in business, entertainment and politics have come forward to afford children — in particular children of colour — the opportunity to benefit from the culturally enriching cinematic experience. Rapper Kendrick Lamar bought out three cinemas in Los Angeles; New York-based philanthropist Frederick Joseph raised US$40,000 on GoFundMe and launched the #BlackPantherChallenge which then raised more than $400,000, becoming the largest GoFundMe in history for an entertainment event; Rapper TI teamed up with Walmart in Atlanta; ESPN personality Jamelle Hill joined forces with the Detroit Free Press and Detroit Lions. All over the US there are stories of people from all walks of life donating their time, money and effort to do the same.
At the causal heart of the insecurity-fuelled, often unacknowledged, self-loathing in the black community is the indoctrination to the culture, traditions, practices and concepts of beauty of the Western World and the simultaneous defilement of all things African. This rape of race didn’t occur overnight. After all, it takes generations to deface a racial identity.
Many of you have images of a white, blue eyed saviour hanging in your homes right now. The dolls with which our little girls play and the big- and small-screen heroes who our little boys desire to emulate look nothing like them. The stigmatization of the black identity is further perpetuated by western culture’s dichotomy of good and evil in which black and white are central; with black denoting evil and white signifying good. Even something which is inherently bad, such as a lie, when qualified as white becomes less egregious.
The more our people are exposed to positive representations of the black condition, particularly mainstream ones such as Black Panther, the more they are able to combat centuries of insidious negative programming. Programming which suggests that they are in some way inherently wanting. Programming which implies that their blackness is a stain which needs to be rubbed out. Our children need to be taught that their history did not begin with slavery. That they are the progeny of a great and proud people. That their potential is limited only by their imagination.
