It’s the type of thing that occasionally makes Twitter lose its virtual mind, and maybe in a good way. Frederick Joseph, a 29-year old Harlem based activist, took it upon himself to start a GoFundMe campaign to buy advance complimentary tickets for at-risk black youth to see eagerly anticipated hit Marvel Comics’ movie Black Panther. Millions of social media handles in the Black Twitterverse were ecstatic, applauding Joseph for the move.
“I knew I wanted to do something for the children, especially of Harlem, because it was a community primarily of color,” Joseph later said during a CNN interview. “I said to myself, how can I get as many children as possible to see this film and see themselves as a superhero or a king or queen?”
Black Panther, with its timely Black History Month release, has eventually become a global box office hit that has many looking for the needed emotional and cultural comfort. Times are urgent, social justice challenges are constant and there has always been a sense that Black History is not as appreciated as it should be. Even when it is as deeply woven into the very foundation and pillars of American society, defining and shaping who we all are, it still suffers from the tragedy of convenient cruelty and selective national memory. Indeed, we could all use a Black History Month observance and a healthy dose of Black History lesson.
Read the full story from Carolina Panorama.
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