教育家、明星和其他人帮助孩子们看《黑豹》电影

Educators, Stars and Others Help Kids See 'Black Panther' Film

For years, Xavier Thompson of Albuquerque, New Mexico, has followed Marvel¹ Comics superhero movies. But the 16-year-old student has always wanted to see a film with a black superhero and African-American subjects.

Thanks to an Albuquerque educator, Xavier finally got his wish last week when he was invited to a private showing of Black Panther.

“It was amazing. The music, the action...everything,” Xavier said. “It made me proud to see our culture depicted² like that.”

Black Panther tells the story of an imaginary, highly developed African nation called Wakanda. T’Challa, played by Chadwick Boseman, becomes the country’s leader after the death of his father. However, a Wakandan exile³ named Killmonger, played by Michael B. Jordan, disputes T’Challa’s rule.

Black Panther is the 18th film Marvel Comics movie. It is based on 50-year-old stories created by Stan Lee and Jack⁴ Kirby.

The movie set a record with its $235-million opening at theaters across the United States last weekend. However, Black Panther is more than just a popular film. It has become a cultural movement. Educators, philanthropists, famous personalities⁵, and business owners are sharing their resources to make sure children of color get to see the movie.

Elementary school students in Detroit, middle school students in Atlanta, and students living in public housing in Los Angeles have been given free tickets and transportation to the movie.

The number of black lead actors in films and television shows has increased over the years. But there is still a major lack of positive minority images coming from Hollywood. This is why many people are pushing for young blacks to see the movie.

Joycelyn Jackson is director of the Black Student Union for Albuquerque Public Schools. She helped Xavier Thompson see the movie.

“Something very special is happening here,” Jackson said.

Former American first lady Michelle Obama tweeted her praise for the movie.

“Congrats to the entire #blackpanther team! Because of you, young people will finally see superheroes that look like them on the big screen,” she wrote on Monday. “I loved this movie and I know it will inspire people of all backgrounds to dig deep and find the courage to be heroes of their own stories.”

The cultural movement began with a New York businessman, Joseph Frederick. He launched the Black Panther Challenge in support of the Harlem division of Boys and Girls Clubs of America.

Soon after, a former host of ESPN television’s SportsCenter program called on leaders of Detroit to help the city’s children get seats to see Black Panther.

“I wish I had time to do it myself, but if there is anyone in Detroit trying to take kids in underserved communities to see Black Panther, holla at me,” Jemele Hill, a Detroit native, wrote on Twitter.

Two Twitter groups answered Hill’s tweet by sending students at Detroit’s University Prep Academy High School to see the film. Twitter’s black employee group known as the Blackbirds and Twitter Detroit paid for the tickets and transportation.

In Atlanta, a video camera was rolling when students at Ron Clark Academy learned they were going to see Black Panther. The recording⁶ shows the 5th-grade students cheering and dancing after hearing the news. The video went viral after it appeared on social media.

Now there is an official Go Fund Me page for the Black Panther Challenge.

Last week, Anthony “Top Dawg” Tiffith also supported the effort. He heads the record label of music artist Kendrick Lamar. Tiffith helped get about 1,000 children from poor neighborhoods in Los Angeles to see the movie. He paid for the tickets and transportation. Lamar did the film’s soundtrack.

Oscar-winning actor Octavia Spencer announced plans to organize a screening in Mississippi to, in her words, "ensure all our brown children can see themselves as a superhero.”

And last weekend, tennis star Serena Williams surprised girls in the club Black Girls Code with a private screening, which she attended.

“Empire” star Jussie Smollett took to Instagram to announce he bought all of the tickets for two Black Panther screenings in Chicago, so that elementary and high school students could see the film.

Actor Gabrielle Union and her husband, basketball player Dwyane Wade⁷, partnered with the Boys & Girls Clubs in several cities to help kids see the movie.

“Black Panther is more than a movie, it’s a movement,” Wade said on Instagram.

I’m Ashley Thompson.

And I'm Caty Weaver⁸.

Words in This Story

amazing - adj. causing great surprise or wonder : causing amazement⁹

proud - adj. ?very happy and pleased because of something you have done, something you own, someone you know or are related to, etc. :feeling pride?

philanthropist - n. ?a wealthy person who gives money and time to help make life better for other people?

resource - n. ?a supply of something (such as money) that someone has and can use when it is needed?

ticket - n. a piece of paper that allows you to see a show, participate in an event, travel on a vehicle, etc.?

positive - adj. ?good or useful?

screen - n. a large, flat, white surface on which images or movies are shown?

challenge - n. an invitation to take part in an effort or movement

host - n. a person who talks to guests on a television or radio show?

holla (holler) - v. to call out loudly; to shout

1 marvel   

vi.(at)惊叹vt.感到惊异；n.令人惊异的事

参考例句：

• The robot is a marvel of modern engineering.机器人是现代工程技术的奇迹。
• The operation was a marvel of medical skill.这次手术是医术上的一个奇迹。

2 depicted   

描绘，描画( depict的过去式和过去分词 )； 描述

参考例句：

• Other animals were depicted on the periphery of the group. 其他动物在群像的外围加以修饰。
• They depicted the thrilling situation to us in great detail. 他们向我们详细地描述了那激动人心的场面。

3 exile   

n.流放，被流放者；vt.流放，放逐，使流亡

参考例句：

• After an exile of eight years her uncle returned to Cairo.她叔叔背井离乡8年后返回开罗。
• Napoleon was sent into exile on an island.拿破仑被流放到一个岛上。

4 jack   

n.插座，千斤顶，男人；v.抬起，提醒，扛举；n.（Jake）杰克

参考例句：

• I am looking for the headphone jack.我正在找寻头戴式耳机插孔。
• He lifted the car with a jack to change the flat tyre.他用千斤顶把车顶起来换下瘪轮胎。

5 personalities   

n. 诽谤，（对某人容貌、性格等所进行的）人身攻击； 人身攻击；人格, 个性, 名人( personality的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• There seemed to be a degree of personalities in her remarks.她话里有些人身攻击的成分。
• Personalities are not in good taste in general conversation.在一般的谈话中诽谤他人是不高尚的。

6 recording   

n.录音，记录

参考例句：

• How long will the recording of the song take?录下这首歌得花多少时间？
• I want to play you a recording of the rehearsal.我想给你放一下彩排的录像。

7 wade   

v.跋涉，涉水；n.跋涉

参考例句：

• We had to wade through the river to the opposite bank.我们只好涉水过河到对岸。
• We cannot but wade across the river.我们只好趟水过去。

8 weaver   

n.织布工；编织者

参考例句：

• She was a fast weaver and the cloth was very good.她织布织得很快，而且布的质量很好。
• The eager weaver did not notice my confusion.热心的纺织工人没有注意到我的狼狈相。

9 amazement   

n.惊奇，惊讶

参考例句：

• All those around him looked at him with amazement.周围的人都对他投射出惊异的眼光。
• He looked at me in blank amazement.他带着迷茫惊诧的神情望着我。