“The representation of black people in Hollywood, from actors to writers to directors to cameramen, pales in comparison to white representation. However, as when given the right path the Moon can eclipse the Sun, black talent can loom just as large as their white colleagues.”
Back on August 21, 2017, a lot of folks, mostly white folks, woke up giddy as schoolgirls for what was going to be a very special day. What was all the excitement about? Well for the first time in 100 years the entire contiguous United States would experience a full solar eclipse. [A solar eclipse occurs when the Moon passes between the Sun and Earth, and by doing so the Moon fully or partially blocks the Sun.] In the words of Jay Z, it’s “lights out ladies” for about two minutes, and then its back to the regularly scheduled program. Millions of people brought special glasses because you can’t look directly into the Sun (cough Donald Trump), thousands traveled hundreds of miles to certain areas in the country to catch a glimpse of the total blockage of the Sun as opposed to a partial blockage – all of that for two minutes of joy. Granted the next eclipse expected to cover the entire US again won’t come until 2024 and then not until 2045, so one can understand why all the activity. And speaking of Trump, isn’t it really embarrassing our idiot president was out there looking at the eclipse holding his hands above his eyes and painfully squinting looking directly at the sun! With his wife beside him with the proper solar eclipse glasses on!
While the buildup for the solar eclipse was taking place, most didn’t understand the hype around it. A lot of black folk didn’t understand why white folk were getting so excited. The excitement should have been across racial lines; but this is America and there’s always a race factor. An eclipse is not only something to experience because of the rarity of the event, but it’s also the amazement that the Moon being 400 times smaller than the Sun can block the Sun and cause a total blackout – even if only for a few moments.
So now for what’s been a trending topic for some time and will continue to be, and no I’m not talking about that terrible rendition of the National Anthem Fergie did during the NBA All-Star game. I’m talking about the release of the movie “Black Panther.” By now you’ve probably read dozens of articles regarding the movie that have quite the range of topics and intent. Most have been lighthearted and fun like comparing “Black Panther” characters to Black Greek organizations, or to the Spike Lee heavy-handed styled articles in which folk are caught in their feelings about moviegoers wearing African garb and not fully knowing their history and purpose of said garb. [Side note, Killmonger would have supposedly pledged my frat, given his Black Panther suit was the flyest outfit in the movie, makes sense.]
For those who have a problem with people wearing African attire to see “Black Panther,” stop it! I can bet dollars to donuts the same people upset about African attire being worn are the same people who only bring that one bag of half-melted ice to the cookout, talks about how overcooked the food is”; yet, walks away with the most plates. So, let’s not mind them.
“Black Panther,” its success, and the celebratory feeling around it got me thinking it was akin to last summer’s eclipse. For months there’s been a buildup of excitement and eagerness for the release of the movie, much like there was for the solar eclipse. “Black Panther,” with a majority black cast filled with subliminal messages as well overt black issues, has already broken many box office records. The representation of black people in Hollywood, from actors to writers to directors to cameraman, pales in comparison to white people. However, like the Moon, when given the right path, black people can loom just as large as their white colleagues. Like the rarity of a solar eclipse in a specific location around the world, in the United States, the rarity for black people to circle around a positive event is sporadic.
Many Black people did not understand the jubilance around the solar eclipse just like many non-Black people will not understand the excitement our community felt when “Black Panther” was released, not to mention the rush to discuss every scene and cultural nuances in detail. Nuances and issues from the division between Black people in the Americas vs Native Africans, to African nations historically having agendas rooted in rarely wanting to mettle in affairs outside their own borders. Many non-Black people and even some Black people will say, “It’s just a movie, it’s not that serious,” and how can all of that be derived from a movie? This is true, inevitably it’s just a Hollywood movie about fictional characters and a fictional place – only so much should be taken from it. In comparison, a solar eclipse has been documented to have little or no impact over the area it passes. Granted, it’s how one judges impact. Impact doesn’t have to be permanent. Impact is equally about the attention and resonation something gives. A solar eclipse quickly happens, and if not timed right one can easily miss it. The celebratory feel for “Black Panther” will promptly leave as well and some will miss it. It will be up to those who traveled far and away, brought special glasses, and wore event T-shirts and saw the spectacle to tell others what they missed out on and why it’s vital to not miss it again. But as history has shown us with the solar eclipse, it usually takes a while for something that special to happen again.
This article was originally published on 22 February 2018.
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Brilliant analogy!
First of all, we don’t deserve this think-piece. How did you even make this parallel? I’m not even worthy of a response. To piggyback this: this is why it’s so important to have black and non-caucasian people in the room making decisions. We needed a black man to bring us this. And we need this platform to allow this conversation.
My only question is: Will the success of Black Panther actually change anything, will we see more black leads in major films? Because every time a movie with a majority black cast hits the big screen, it breaks records but we don’t see another major black film for years and Hollywood still only casts white men as the lead male in the next movie about suburban life in the U.S.