Local man raises money to send 151 kids to Marvel’s ‘Black Panther’ movie
Marvel’s latest superhero mega-movie doesn’t start in a New York penthouse, or a high-tech secret agent headquarters. Instead, it takes place in the fictional African nation of Wakanda, and follows the superhero T’Challa as the Black Panther fighting to save his country and secure his rightful place as king.
Not quite the traditional comic book setup, and not quite the traditional Hollywood comic book movie either.
“Black Panther” first began turning heads in the summer of 2016, when Marvel Studios head Kevin Feige praised the cast of the film and said it would be “90 percent African or African-American.”
In a world in which superheroes usually have been white (with people of color often thrown in as sidekicks, if they exist at at all), a non-white superhero, supported by a mostly non-white cast, is seen by some as a major change.
Darius Prather, a 31-year-old application engineer in Columbus, sees the film as a message that times are changing in Hollywood and wants the movie to be a way for local kids from minority families to be inspired by a hero that actually looks like them
He started an online crowdfunding campaign, hoping to raise $1,800 to take about 150 kids to see the movie when it comes out Feb. 16.
“A lot of underprivileged youth live in areas where they don’t see necessarily the most positive influences ... it can be almost as discouraging being a person of color and not being able to identify to the heroes and stars on TV. Not to mention some cannot afford tickets to the movies,” he wrote on the campaign’s page.
“Marvel’s ‘Black Panther’ is one of the few movies cast by a major film studio that has over a 90 percent black cast and shows people of color in a positive light. I propose that we all come together and ensure that we extend a hand to these kids and provide them tickets to the new movie.”
Prather isn’t alone. Similar campaigns to take kids to see ‘Black Panther’ have sprung up across the county. One campaign in Harlem has raised more than $42,000.
Prather isn’t aiming that high, but the community still came together in a big way. After two days, he’d made about $1,000. After a week, he smashed through his goal, with donations still coming in. He was going to be able to take 151 kids to the movie — all thanks to the community that pitched in to make it happen.
“We’re going to basically rent out a whole theater for them and give each of them a voucher for a drink or snack,” he said. Prather is working with local community groups like the NAACP, the Boys and Girls Club and mentoring programs to find the kids he will take to see the film.
Prather said he just wants the kids to see they aren’t confined to their circumstances.
“A lot of it has to do with all the negativity that’s being thrown about the community. The crime rates, all that those things. The youth don’t have an outlet, and those youth become adults, and then you have incidents happen,” he said.
“‘Black Panther’ is just one of those movies that kind of just breaks the mold as a standard of Hollywood diversity. The cast is 90 percent people of color, and they’re not sidekicks. It’s really important for kids to see that. Not just black kids, but everyone to see that.”
Prather also said the movie would open up kids to the possibility they don’t have to sink into what they imagined their only options were.
“I want these kids to know you can do whatever it is that you wish to achieve,” Prather said. “Don’t let your surroundings dictate what you can be. A lot of times in Columbus, that can be the case.
“They think their only option is to go to a call center, or work retail or join the military. There’s nothing wrong with those professions, but there are so many ways to make a living. You don’t have to just work and die. You can do anything.”
This story was originally published January 18, 2018 at 1:59 PM with the headline "Local man raises money to send 151 kids to Marvel’s ‘Black Panther’ movie."