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The year 2018 was the year Black people temporarily traded in the coveted head nod for the Wakanda Forever signal. It was a moment of endearment, a chance for connection, and an unspoken term of social engagement. That phenomenon is credited to “Black Panther,” written and directed by Ryan Coogler. Coogler is an Oakland, CA, native and American filmmaker. The film director graduated from Sacramento State with a B.S. in business administration/finance in 2007. From there, he would be accepted to USC School of Cinematic Arts, where he made short films and honed his screenwriting skills. At USC, his skills would lead him to write and direct his breakout film “Fruitvale Station” in 2013. Starring Michael B. Jordan, “Fruitvale Station” is a film that depicts the real-life story of Oscar Grant, III. From that breakout moment, Coogler would go on to make other feature films, including “Creed” and the Marvel hit “Black Panther.” His work gained him the recognition of his peers with several...
In 2018, Marvel’s “Black Panther” had the world in a proverbial chokehold. Black children and adults everywhere were crossing their arms proudly, exclaiming, “Wakanda, forever!” A significant part of this cinematic magic and influence was the performance of Oscar-nominated actor Chadwick Boseman. Sadly succumbing to colon cancer, Boseman passed away in August 2020. But without a living will, his estate was left in limbo. Almost two years later, Boseman’s estate has been settled.
Angela Bassett has received another distinction. The prolific actress and Oscar nominee has received an honorary doctorate from Old Dominion University (ODU) in Virginia, People reports. The achievement was given to Bassett the same weekend she presented the keynote speech for ODU’s commencement ceremony.
Childhood memorabilia of Tupac has been placed on the online market. Forbes reports that the rare “Haiku” is one of the late rapper’s “earliest pieces of writing ever recorded, and is the first of his manuscripts to come to market outside of his already rare personal correspondence.” On March 23, his early body of work from the age of 11-years-old went up for auction on Sotheby’s with bids looking to reach about $300,000. The sale is their second Hip-Hop themed auction, which includes collected items from late rapper Biz Markie and DJ Jazzy Jay.
It’s official, “Akon City” is still on its way! R&B sensation, Akon announced that construction for his futuristic pan-African city will begin next year, AP News reports. The $6 billion project will still proceed despite global tourism’s uncertain future due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Inspired by the hit film, “Black Panther,” Akon first set his sights on creating a utopian city back in 2018 and has described it as a “real-life Wakanda,” much like the technologically advanced fictional African place portrayed in the film. Akon hopes his city will serve as a “home back home” for Black Americans and others facing racial injustices. His aim is also to provide much-needed jobs for Senegalese. “The system back home treats them unfairly in so many different ways that you can never imagine. And they only go through it because they feel there is no other way,” Akon said, according to AP News. Born in the United States — to Senegalese parents — the “Lonely” singer spent the majority of his...
We know her as Shuri, the tech savvy Wakanda princess and little sister to T’Challa. However, off screen Letitia Wright shares the same passion for technology as her “Black Panther” character who has inspired young Black girls with her innovative vibranium powered tech inventions. Wright was inspired to learn more about tech after her role in the film and discovering how much of an impact Shuri made in regards to representation in a field that lacks diversity and inclusion. “You have to see something in order for you to understand that you can do it,” she said in a NowThis News interview . After the historic release of “Black Panther,” Wright was flooded with appreciation for portraying Black women and girls in tech. “And a floodgate just opened up for so many women saying, you know, thank you for representing us and stuff like that,” she told Anne-Marie Imafidon, co-founder of Stemettes. Wright visited with four young women who were competing in the Shell Eco-Marathon to discuss...
Girls at Coretta Scott King Young Women’s Leadership Academy got a star-studded surprise visit from Lupita Nyong’o and anchor Robin Roberts earlier this week. The “Black Panther” star made an appearance at the all-girls STEM school in Atlanta to congratulate students on their community efforts, according to Good Morning America. Nyong’o was awarded the title of “Most Likely to Succeed” from the GMA Yearbook and shared words of inspiration to girls who were also selected as most likely to succeed in their class. “When I look into this room I see problem solvers. I see creative thinkers. I see activists, but most importantly I see women who are learning how to learn and learners change the world,” Nyong’o said to the student body. “I feel like I’m looking into the faces of the future and it gives me deep hope to see how open, how alive and how positive that future could be.” In addition to speaking to the students, Nyong’o gave the academy a $25,000 check from DonorsChoose.org to go...