This weekend, I joined thousands of excited viewers to see Black Panther – not once, but twice. It was exhilarating to be in a movie theater where my people came adorned in Afrocentric attire or all-Black gear. As the trailers rolled, the energy and rising anticipation for the movie were intoxicating. The joy in the room was palpable.
The movie began, and I was mesmerized by the power of the fierce Wakandan people. The flip-flop of power and majority in the land of Wakanda compared to the world I live in captured me, but so did the movie’s deeper messages. From the all-Black cast to the absence of light-skinned, straight-haired women in lead roles, from the merger of advanced technology with ancient worldviews to the beautiful, bald warriors, I found myself longing to be a native of Wakanda. Leaving the theater and returning to America left me with a deep sense of melancholy. Why? Because Wakanda is, in many ways, the wildest, untapped dream for us Sistahpreneurs. Let me break it down.
Spoiler Alert: If you haven’t seen the movie, this will give away some details. You’ve been warned.
When people take credit for your ideas and innovations, seeing a young, dark, and brilliant genius-princess leading the most advanced tech-innovation lab in the universe feels like chicken soup for the soul.
When you’re in a daily battle against invisibility and the disregard of your knowledge and value in the workplace, it feels like justice to see that the King of Wakanda is surrounded by fierce, strategic, wise female advisors, warriors, spies, and elders.
When the savior, genius, and king is white in nearly every storyline – real and fictional – and the Black guy always dies first or serves as a sidekick, the Wakandan reality is refreshing. In Wakanda, white characters are barely present, killed first, silenced, have no answers, and serve only in ancillary roles.
When they tell you to cut your locs to close a deal or get a promotion, you exhale seeing the fierce Wakandan warrior and head of the King’s guard call the wig she wears on an undercover mission a disgrace. It validates the daily assault on your identity. Locs, braids, afros, and bald beauties define beauty in Wakanda.
When you’re asked to soften your tone or accused of being abrasive and stubborn, you catch the spirit watching the Wakandan warrior Okoye stand over her defeated husband as he calls off his army and surrenders humbly to his wife. It’s a powerful moment that says strength and respect are not mutually exclusive.
When American love interests in films have historically been white, light, and straight-haired, and Black women struggle to get lead roles, it’s revolutionary to see Black Panther’s cast flooded with powerful women. The lead love interest is a brilliant, headstrong, dark beauty with Bantu knots, and the men in the movie are repeatedly guided and advised by their Black queens.
When your grandmother was called “broad” or “gal,” it’s healing to see Wakandan women respected, revered, valued, and called Queen, Princess, and Warrior.
For my sistahs who are uninvited to meetings, paid less than white or male counterparts, or only offered jobs to fix someone else’s mistakes, seeing Wakandan women stand tall in the United Nations and lead global peace initiatives is glorious. These scenes affirm that you are not crazy for wanting the same respect and authority in your own life.
When your people have been oppressed for centuries by European colonizers, and when our ancient traditions and spiritual roots are demonized, Wakanda honors our ancestors, our land, and its precious resources. It celebrates tribal rituals and worldviews as strengths. Watching Wakandans return to acknowledge, save, and join forces with their brothers and sisters stolen from the motherland creates a sense of belonging and love.
Ase’ to the visionaries who brought us Black Panther. Yes, there will be critiques, many of them valid. But for 2 hours and 25 minutes, it brought tears to my eyes and filled me with hope. Wakanda’s extraordinary vision for the restoration of global peace, equality, and Black power inspires the kind of action we need now more than ever in these tumultuous times.
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