Naleighna Kai's Literary Cafe Magazine BH Magazine Final | Page 21

Shakir Rashaan “We know what it’s like to be the tail, but not the head … to be beneath, and not above …” Chadwick Boseman’s shots heard ‘round the entertainment world were but a small tidbit of what Black Hollywood has been saying for years on end. Give us an original premise, give us the marketing and film budget, and our people will show up. “To be young, gifted and black … we all know what it’s like to be told that there is not a place for you, and yet you are young, gifted and black …” Not only did we show up in the domestic box office (third highest grossing film ever), but we showed up overseas, in places that the “experts” said would not appeal. “Wakanda Forever” salutes everywhere. We spawned a whole interest in a genre (Afrofuturism) that was otherwise ignored by readers. We created a ground game the likes of which Disney and Marvel had never seen before, which turned skeptics into believers. The aftermath? Seven Oscar nominations, including Best Picture. Nominations from the Writers Guild of America, the Producers Guild of America, and the Briti- sh Academy Film Awards. Winning at the SAG Awards for the top prize: Outstanding Performan- ce by a Cast in a Motion Picture. This is the type of accolade and success we have been screaming about for decades, both in Black Hollywood and in the black community, period. And the most important thing is that there is more where that is coming from. All that is needed is the film budget that our ivory-skinned counterparts seem to get in buckets. This isn’t an aberration. This wasn’t be an anomaly. There is a place for us. There is a screen for us. We’re going to make sure of that. Wakanda Forever. NKLC Magazine | 21