By Cheryl Mattox Berry
Whenever there’s too much publicity about a movie, I question whether it will live up to the hype. Nor am I a fan of Marvel superhero movies, but I went to see “Black Panther” because I like Chadwick Boseman, who plays the Black Panther and King T’Challa.
I must say that everything I heard about “Black Panther” was true. I smiled throughout the film. Like most superhero movies, it has fight scenes, car chase, etc. But this film does something most movies don’t do these days. It uplifts a race – black folks – who’ve been forgotten in Donald Trump’s promise to “Make America Great Again.”
There’s so much symbolism in “Black Panther,” which was set in the fictional African country of Wakanda. There’s a message in it for people of all ages but especially for black kids who’ll see a superhero who looks like them. He’s a strategist, loving, and compassionate and strong at the same time.
I couldn’t be prouder of the way black women were portrayed in the film. They were fierce; equal to men in all respects. They were fighters, confidantes, scientists, nurturers and loving partners. We don’t see enough of this in Hollywood.
Sadly, art doesn’t imitate real life. We haven’t reached parity with men yet. However, we’re demanding to be heard. When a woman gets fed up, change will happen.
The Women’s March united us, and hopefully the activism that came out of it will propel us into state legislatures and Congress, where decisions are made. Unless, we’re at the table, we won’t have a say.
“Too often the great decisions are originated and given form in bodies made up wholly of men, or so completely dominated by them that whatever of special value women have to offer is shunted aside without expression.” – Eleanor Roosevelt