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I Took 7th Graders to See ‘Black Panther.’ Here’s What They Said. | New York Times

African American Cinema, African American History ... Posted by: KOLUMN Magazine Staff

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I Took 7th Graders to See ‘Black Panther.’ Here’s What They Said. | New York Times

Kevin Noble Maillard, New York Times
Amy Lombard, The New York Times, Featured Image Credit



[dropcap]Seven[/dropcap] seventh graders arrived at the theater, excited. There were braces and glasses, sneakers and hoodies, teasing and giggles — all the trappings of tweens. They clapped, whispered, squirmed and guffawed. They quite literally sat on the edge of their seats. [mc4wp_form id=”6042″]

I had invited a handful of 12-year-olds from P.S. 282 in Brooklyn to an early screening of “Black Panther” at the Brooklyn Academy of Music. (Disney donated the tickets and BAM provided a place to talk afterward.)

Black Panther, African American Cinema, African American Movies, Black Movies, African American History, Black History, KOLUMN Magazine, KOLUMNAmy Lombard, The New York Times, Photo Credit

In 23 years as an educator specializing in the relationships of law, society and entertainment in the construction of racial norms and beliefs, I had been keenly following the hype surrounding “Black Panther” and the argument that the story of an African superhero would benefit black children’s self-esteem. There was even the #BlackPantherChallenge and there were crowdfunding campaigns to send youngsters around the country to see the movie.

But in all the talk, a crucial element was missing: the voices of black children. What did they actually think of the film, and how did it make them feel?

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