Black Panther DID BENEFIT the BLACK COMMUNITY & THIS IS WHY:

For everyone that keeps posting memes like the one below and bringing up the argument that Disney & Marvel made money off Black Panther while the black community saw none of the profits I beg to differ.

I will also argue that those claiming to be "WOKE" when they make statements like this are actually still "SLEEP". Black Panther is a BLACK PROJECT based on a character created by MARVEL Comics. Marvel Universe is the Film division of that company. So here is why a statement like that meme makes no sense to me.

First:

DISNEY chose to invest THEIR MONEY into A BLACK PROJECT! How many black business owners could use a capital investment to further their business? My hand is raised! Everything about the Black Panther Movie is AFROCENTRIC, DISNEY took the initiative to be apart of this project, and to distribute this project and put the money behind it to help get quality talent that were primarily of African Descent or African American to make this movie happen. I cannot fault Disney for getting a return on their investment, nor can I fault Marvel because they actually created the Character of Black Panther.

Second:

The black community did profit and benefit from this movie being released. The cast was more the 90 percent black, the production team was predominantly black, the editing crew was predominantly black, craft services was likely predominantly black. There were event promoters, and black organizations that rented out whole movie theaters to make sure black people were able to watch this movie, and I'm sure they profited off this event. Many people that attended the movie were dressed in traditional African attire, many of which were purchased directly from black businesses! There were countless after parties and social gatherings at black establishments in the name of this movie. There are now NEW organizations that are being formed in the spirit of this Movie and The Idea of WAKANDA.

I am also hearing the set of Wakanda was actually shot at Tyler Perry studios, a black man, who employs black people. Countless children who have seen this movie or even just the previews alone, now have an actual black super hero embedded into their imagination that will inspire them to do countless amazing things that will directly benefit them and the black community. Yes there was Blade, Yes there was Spawn, Yes there was even Green Lantern, and Blank Man and a few others, but BLADE was an R rated movie, so its audience was limited, Spawn was late night HBO, Green Lantern didn't get this level of Promotion as a comic book, which in turn led to two not so well done version of the character with white lead actors, and blank man was a spoof comedy that was difficult to take seriously. Black Panther was unapologetically black and AFRICAN at that as well as RICH, WEALTHY, & ROYALTY, recognized by the world. Something that has been diluted historically by cultures of COLONIZERS.

THIRD:

This generation of "Poor" black communities are actually better off than the generation of poor black communities I grew up in. Not to say that they have made it, because there is still a great deal of work that needs to be done for the advancement of the black community. But when I grew up, poor blacks didn't have as many Jordan sneakers, Iphones, Galaxy phones, Obama phones, or the amount of resources available to them as I see this generation of black communities have these days. There was never a reality of black president. Yes there was Jessie Jackson but nobody actually believed he could win, but it was nice to have a presence in politics that mattered even if it was just a little bit. There is a growing number of resources available to the black community that was not available when I was child. And as much as I hate to admit it, things have actually improved for the black community in many ways. It is difficult to acknowledge improvement when it seems small in comparison to the larger scale of improvements that need to be made. We have a president in office that makes it feel like we are going completely backwards. Who wants to say we are doing well when we have a person doing so bad at being the leader of this country. But here's what might bring some clarity to our progress. Minimum wage when I first got my working papers at age 14 was $4.95/hr. Let me REPEAT THAT IN CAPS MINIMUM WAGE WHEN I WAS 14 YRS OLD in 1992 WAS $4.95/HR can you imagine raising a family of 4 working 40 hours a week with a pay rate of $4.95/hr in today's world? I don't even need to say anything more with this point, you get it!

FOURTH:

Celebrate the positive, ignore the negative and watch how you continue to grow! Stop giving energy to things that cannot return that energy back to you in a positive way! We are seeking progression, not regression. Every time something positive happens for the black community we should not assist in impeding its progress! Lets not get in our own way anymore. Lets extend our hands and move forward together!