As Black History Month wraps up, we look at the record-breaking movie Black Panther. Since the release of Black Panther earlier this month, fans have crowdfunded campaigns to ensure children can see the film in theaters, teachers have incorporated the movie’s core themes of anti-colonialism and cultural representation into their curriculum, and activists have used film screenings to hold mass voter registration drives. The movie has also renewed calls for the release of more than a dozen imprisoned members of the real Black Panther Party. Black Panther has also ignited a firestorm of impassioned social commentary online among fans and detractors alike. We speak to historian Robyn C. Spencer, who wrote a piece, “Black Feminist Meditations on the Women of Wakanda,” and Carvell Wallace, whose piece, “Why Black Panther Is a Defining Moment for Black America,” appeared in The New York Times Magazine.
TRANSCRIPT
AMY GOODMAN: This is Democracy Now!, democracynow.org, The War and Peace Report. I’m Amy Goodman. As Black History Month wraps up, we turn now to a film that is making history as we speak. That’s right, we spend the rest of the hour looking at the record-breaking blockbuster film Black Panther. The movie has captivated global audiences, has raked in more than $750 million, just in the first two weeks of the release. Black Panther had the highest — fifth-highest-earning opening weekend of any film in U.S. history and has already become the single highest-grossing film ever by a black director, 31-year-old Ryan Coogler. It’s also the biggest February film debut of all time. The superhero flick, based on the Marvel comic, features a majority-black cast, has been called a “defining moment for Black America.” This is part of the trailer for Black Panther.
EVERETT K. ROSS: [played by Martin Freeman] I have seen gods fly. I’ve seen men build weapons that I couldn’t even imagine. I’ve seen aliens drop from the sky. But I have never seen anything like this. How much more…