Black Panther: Black Girls Rock

If you haven’t seen Black Panther as yet, you’re seriously living under a rock.

I watched Black Panther opening weekend and had goosebumps throughout the entire movie. It had me on the edge of my seat, it made me angry, I talked to the screen, I laughed, I smiled, and I felt empowered.

As a Black woman, it felt absolutely empowering to see women on a movie screen who look just like me. Not racially ambiguous, not “I think she may have some Black in her” Black women, but Black Black. Black women who were intelligent, powerful in more ways than one, and inspiring.

Too often Hollywood throws terrible scripts at Black actors and blames the actors for the movie’s flop. This clearly proved the world wrong. Blacks can sell and most importantly, we can break records. Give them a great team and even better storyline and watch the magic unfold.

My favorite actresses in this movie were Letitia Wright who played the role of T’Challa’s little sister, Shuri, and Danai Gurira who played Okoye, the general of the Dora Milaje and the head of Wakanda’s armed forces. They were both badasses in their roles.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BbVBrqVj4Z7/?taken-by=letitiawright

Shuri displayed her love and loyalty to her brother, T’Challa, and proved to be a major asset to the kingdom (yep) of Wakanda. She is more than the princess of Wakanda, she is a mastermind when it comes to technology. Her technological advancements of the Black Panther suit single-handedly allowed T’Challa to be an even bigger threat to enemies. She’s not only beauty and brains because she’s not one to back down from a physical challenge. Shuri dished out a few beat downs herself in the final battle scene.

I adore the message she sends in the film to little Black girls all over the world. #BlackWomenInTech #BlackGirlsCode

Okoyeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!!!!

https://www.instagram.com/p/Be_bDTvA0nx/?taken-by=danaigurira

Okoye is my big sister in my head. Mess with me and you’ll have to go through her first! The way she and her team banged those spears! I still get goosebumps thinking of her powerful scenes in the film. She embodies beauty, strength, loyalty, charisma, sass, and so much more. She’s not afraid to question T’Challa nor will she back down from others. Heck, she was ready to tear her hubby a part for turning on the King. She is definitely loyal to the throne – even if a maniac sits on it.

I loved the scene when she displayed her disgrace for the wig she was wearing to “blend in” with the “colonizers”. Everyone laughed in the theater during that scene. Her lines in that scene told young Black girls and seasoned women we don’t need to use European standards of beauty to blend in or be accepted because we are beautiful just as we are. This hit home for me because too many times I question if a wig or weave or lighter skin or a smaller nose would make me more acceptable for brands, for my career, to attract a larger audience, to be taken seriously. This reaffirmed my self-acceptance. I don’t need to conform to European standards of beauty to shine because my light already shines brightly from within.

If you’re a mother, sister, aunt, daughter, you need to see this film. I can’t tell you how great it felt to see so many Black people in one setting enjoying themselves in a positive environment. I urge you – if you can – to see this film with your family and discuss it thoroughly after watching it.

Things I wish I saw more of in the movie:

Wakandan scenery and culture.
More background information on T’Challa and Nakia so I could understand the love he supposedly has for her
Cleaner execution in T’Challa’s fight scenes. It made me yearn for his skills shown in past Marvel movies.
Dora Milaje training and a better sense of how they fight as a unit. Think Wonder Woman Amazonian warriors.
More convincing acting from Killmonger. I wasn’t moved.

My family and I arrived in style at the movies. Lexus equipped me with a 2017 Lexus IS300 AWD Sedan in Ultrasonic Blue. I am a fan of Lexus and I love their sleek designs, the horsepower under the hood, the miles per gallon, and safety features.

My favorite features of the 2017 Lexus IS300

Blind spot monitoring – an absolute must
Rain sensing wipers
Navigation system
Backup camera
Infotainment system
Mark Levinson Audio System – because I need to feel the bass
Auto-dimming Rearview mirror
Smart access (keyless entry)
Various drive modes – ECO, Normal, Sport, and Snow
Moving dashboard
Brake assist

The particular Lexus I drove retails at $49,000. You can test drive the IS300 (and fall in love) by visiting www.Lexus.com to find your local Lexus dealership.

As of March, Black Panther is the highest grossing film of 2018 making over $1B at the box office.

WAKANDA FOREVA!!!!

Enter to win tickets to see Black Panther. The special edition Black Panther Fandango gift card allows you to purchase your own tickets!

1st prize: 1 $25 Fandango Gift Card

2nd prize: 1 $15 Fandango Gift Card

Now through Wednesday, February 21st, U.S. based readers can enter to win by following the directions below. The winner will be notified via email on Thursday, February 22nd. You have 24 hours to claim your prize before it is given to the runner-up.

All gift cards will be electronic and mailed to the email address provided after it has been claimed.

Enter below! Good luck!

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