The Blossoming of the Black Panther

On Thursday, October 29th, we began to wrap up our discussion about Moana. We had a special visitor to our class, the owner of Baddies with Businesses, Ms. Malliron. She discussed the tea on being a business owner and a leader in general. Her advice was very informative on emphasizing self-care and acting upon ambition. Her work was inspiring to hear about and made me want to listen to her podcast sometime ! I love seeing Black women such as Ms. Malliron flourish and help others in a world where we receive so much disrespect.

On Friday, October 30th, I decided to watch Black Panther after my classes in bed with buttery popcorn, candy, and soda. Watching movies such as The Black Panther and Moana has been fun because it gives me the excuse to recreate the vibe of a theater in my room.

On Sunday, November 1st, after sleeping in from Halloween night. I decided to work on the coursework posted on Kallion and listened to the audios and clips Dr. S posted. I also organized my notes from random things I jotted down on the Notes app on my phone as I watched the movie.

Scene One:

Killmonger asks his father to tell him the story about the origins of Wakanda. We are introduced similar to how we are in Moana when it begins with Gramma Tala telling the tale of the heart of Ta Fiti. Except, in the Black Panther, we are discussing vibranium which is the source of life and technology. We learn the history of the community that they belong to. This is a mentoring scene between Killmonger and his father who is killed by T’Chaka in the next scene. We learn that he is abandoned thereafter. He becomes Killmonger and a permanent insider. Claw tells him Wakanda will never accept him, which is prophetic. He has a claim to the throne which is why he can engage in the royal fight, but he has trouble bonding with the others. This is similar to Otalara in El Muerto. His romantic interest is Linda who helps him plot the heist of the Wakandan axe head from the museum, but he ends up shooting her to kill Claw. He then does not exhibit any empathy. The imperfect development of Wakandan society and governance is shown in this scene. The Jabari tribe stays separated in the mountains. The vibranium seems to be a uniting element that brings peace. The monarch has a monopoly on the vibranium making them the benevolent leader.

Scene Two:

The women all contribute to the leadership of T’Challa. Their forceful and diverse perspectives imposed upon him allow T’Challa to cultivate independent judgement. Okoye is the first strong female presence when she is coordinating the rescue of Nakia, and she tells him not to freeze when he sees her. His Sophrosyne, or self control, is activated because he has feelings for Nakia. Okoye tells him to hold his emotions in check to complete the mission. Nakia advocates compassionate outreach when discussing the role of Wakanda at the marketplace. Romanda is the voice of tradition or royal sovereignty. When he becomes engaged in royal combat, she tells him to show him who you are. He asserts himself by stating his identity and defeats M’baku. T’Challa’s past is complicated because he is the son of T’Chaka due to the unreconciled morals of his father. His sister is a genius and intelligent. She breaks the tension in the scene with the royal combat, she is not big on traditions or ceremonies. She believed the Black Panther should not take himself so serious so he would not become so arrogant or consumed with himself. T’Challa was raised in Wakanda and loves the land including the people. He is an insider and connected to the Wakandans. The women provide perspectives on the role of Wakanda on a global scale. There is a big debate on if Wakanda should remain isolated and the women grant their insights to him.

Scene Three:

T’Challa goes on an ancestral visit to see his father. This is after the battle with Mbaku and is a ritual for becoming king. We often see someone in a leadership role connected to culture. He remembers their relationship as a child, and shows his grief from the death of his father. He kneels before him and T’Chaka tells T’Challa to stand up and reminds him that he is king. He tells him that it is not easy for a good man to be king and advises him to form a council of people that he can trust. He insinuates that it is time for T’Challa to move on and that he equipped him with all the tools needed already.

Scene Four:

We see the second visit of T’Challa to the ancestral land. This after he lost against Killmonger. He was rescued by the Jabari tribe and his family is trying to resuscitate him. He comes to terms with the limitations of his mentor, his father. He yells at his father for being wrong by abandoning his son. He realizes Killmonger is a monster of their making or a result of the neglect shown to him. His rage is depicted by him crying and screaming at his father. His leadership is going to have a larger scope as a result of this. Mentors are not perfect which is the case here. They do not have the purest moments. Sometimes, there is a stepping back from the mentor although they are responsible for the activation of the leader. This is similar to the concept of independent judgment seen in Binti.

Scene Five:

The completion of the tragic story of Killmonger is seen within this clip. He seemed to be on track from the first scene to becoming a leader. He started to connect with Wakanda when it became too late. He describes himself as a little boy from Oakland with a fairytale of Wakanda. Wakanda is real, but a fairytale from the perspective of Killmonger. This scene shows the humanity that was stripped from Killmonger which is well acted by Micheal B. Jordan because we see the damage and impact caused by the abandonment of his father. His essence is excavated as Dr. S describes. He does not want to live in bondage and says to bury me at sea with my ancestors. For a lot of people, our lives would appear as a fairytale to them. This caused me to have a moment of gratitude because there are so many people who unfortunately are suffering in other places from poverty. Oftentimes, we tend to focus on the things we do not have instead of appreciating what we do have. T’Challa has had the exposure of growing up in Wakanda that Killmonger longed for.

This conclusion to the story invites the audience to envision what “social outreach” might look like from an organization with the cultural traditions, vast resources, and technology of a country like Wakanda. What would you like this outreach to look like in visual and experiential terms?

The social outreach could encompass increasing the awareness of Wakanda. Since it was isolated for some time, other people probably do not have much knowledge about them. This could be done by having functions at the community center and promoting their culture by getting involved with local businesses. They can market their element vibranium and use the revenue to give back to the community or even to improve Wakanda. The Black Panther can share his love for humanity by building a connection with the people in the community.

Consider specifically:

Political (What kind of government do you envision? Who would serve in it? what kind of leadership would you expect from them?)

The government I envision would consist of multiple parties and less bipartisanship. I want different ideologies to be represented from progressive to conservative to liberal or moderate. The Constitution and Amendments would be updated regularly to suit the current time the people are living in. I would implement institutional and systemic equality through laws. White supremacy would not be structurally embedded. People of all races, genders, and sexual orientation would have rights that are not up for election every four years. There would be permanent precedents in place to avoid the possibility that they can be overturned.

Social ( What would neighborhoods, schools, public squares look and feel like? what would human interactions look like?)

I would make sure that all schools have sufficient funding to operate granting them equal access to all opportunities. This would ensure that children have the chance to receive good education without having to spend too much money. They can learn difficult subjects, gain experience in science laboratories with conducting experiments, and feel truly supported by the staff. Children could seek proper attention or counseling instead of being punished harshly. Recreation centers in towns that would be built and operated efficiently providing children an alternative to avoiding violence with their idle time. This would also help them build relationships or friendships with other children in their communities. All neighborhoods would have proper recycling and garbage collection. Electric wires would be implemented underground, streets would be regularly cleaned and fixed with no potholes. Public squares or communal centers would all have playgrounds, pools, and gardens. There can be events or festivals celebrating culture, literature, art, and music monthly. Children would be able to play sports free or for an affordable/low price.

Economic: What kinds of jobs would people do? how would they be compensated for their work?

People of all races and genders would be paid the same salary for the same job. People who have more experience would earn more money, but there would be a reasonable minimum wage and base rate for those who graduated college regardless of their major. I also believe that there should be free college, so people can explore and perform the jobs they truly desire instead of the ones they can afford. A lot of people, including myself do not have money for graduate school tuition and even the application process. I can barely afford my undergrad tuition which makes me scared for graduate school. Taking out loans is stressful especially since we tend to not make enough money to pay them until years later. This is why I would make college free. There would be a lot more people performing jobs that they are genuinely content with rather than ones that they settle for due to a lack of resources or money.

Cultural: What would be the roles of science, religion, art, music, etc. in your vision? (include elements of your vision)

Global culture would be taught to children on a wider scale. A lot of Americans tend to be ethnocentric and uneducated about the state of the global world. This would be done by making world languages available in school besides the basic 3: Spanish, Italian, and French. There should be more of an embrace to show concern for other issues in other places. We would participate in more globally cohesive efforts instead of pulling out of agreements such as the Paris Agreement. There would be freedom of religion to respect everyone’s different. I would want a distinct separation of church and state because I feel as though it is easy for them to be intertwined. This would help the government by differentiating the jurisdiction of the two. I would encourage music and art of all forms and support them by allowing them to have a major role in education than they currently do. It is a requirement in some places, but I would make it a requirement everywhere. There would be no racism since the society was built on equality structurally. Children would be taught this in school because racism is taught and needs to be untaught. I would also have more affordable programs for students from abroad to visit and learn. I would want the same for our country meaning we could learn from others by studying abroad.