My bestie asked me how I felt about Black Panther. Knowing me as well as she does, I had an idea of the answer she expected.

At the time she asked, I had already seen the movie, twice. I will see it a third time with my spouse.

It was amazing to see our community organize around a movie with an all-black leading cast and director. I received a Facebook event invitation to see the film opening weekend (February 2018) in October of 2017. I knew of the comic book. I own the first copy written by Ta-nehisi Coates. It's still in the plastic. But I didn't understand why I was receiving an invitation so early. I didn't understand the excitement around the movie until closer to the release date, when I started to understand the pride. Then, there was the #BlackPantherChallenge, started by Frederick Joseph, to benefit the Boys and Girls Club of Harlem, where I volunteer.

I understand the importance of providing youth with positive examples. I understand the importance of supporting a predominantly black cast and director. I was thrilled to observe the excitement. Adults organized theaters full of friends, in Afrocentric attire, to see the film. Donations poured in from individuals and celebrities for the #BlackPantherChallenge. I know several people that have seen the movie multiple times. It grossed more than a billion dollars worldwide and is the highest grossing superhero film in US history.

But this is not why my friend asked me the question. She knew my observation and analysis would have nothing to do with the aforementioned statements. As I watched the energy and effort put into organizing support around this movie, I could not help but think, "What if we organized like this around ANY of the issues effecting our community?" Why don't we support our institutions this way, with small donations?

As people plan their imaginary trips to Wakanda and contemplate how life would be in the fictional place, what work can we do to create Wakanda where we are? Wakanda is a self-sustaining nation of people who isolated themselves from the outside world and built a strong country, all while closely observing what was happening in the rest of the world. I am not advocating for segregation, but I am saying we should begin to financially support our institutions, businesses and the candidates and elected officials who advocate for policies that improve our communities.

The financial support for this movie illustrates that we have the economic power to do it. If all of us donated the cost of a movie ticket to our local nonprofits, cultural institutions, political action committees or elected officials that support our communities, we can begin to build power in our communities.

If we can effectively organize our friends and family for a movie outing, what is stopping us from doing the same on primary and general election days? Together, we can ensure all are registered to vote, informed about candidates and ballot proposals, have the appropriate identification (months in advance) and execute an election day plan. What is preventing us from using this same energy to advocate for our communities? Why don't we organize our friends and family to contribute the cost of a movie ticket to candidates whose policies align with ours?

Believe it or not, $15 to $20 contributions to a candidate from you and your friends, or a theater full of people, can make a difference in a campaign. In New York City, those funds are matched six to one, so a donation of $25 yields $125. You can make a reoccurring donation of $10 per month to a candidate or a political action committee (PAC) like Higher Heights for America and The Collective PAC, that support women and people of color running for office.

What transpired with Black Panther shows me what is possible when we decide to devote our time, energy, resources, money and focus to a cause. My only wish is that we galvanized our networks in the same manner with all of the issues impacting our communities. If we did this, Imagine where we would be.

Nickey Y.

Writing since April 2018 · 2 stories contributed