Black Panther: The SHEroes of Wakanda

Wakanda Forever!

Black Panther takes place in the wonderful land of Wakanda. The black mecca that has withstood the test of time. Despite colonization and thievery, Wakanda maintained it's access to optimum resources, supreme technological advancements, and nobility. It is a black utopia. While the setting features a Utopian, magical kingdom , handsome king, and strong army. It leaves many of us wondering if this was the vision that Marcus Garvey had in mind with his Back to Africa Movement. (Come on. You know you were thinking it too!)

In addtion, I was enthused by the power and importance of the women in the movie. Just as moving as it was to see people of color thriving in our homeland, it was beyond powerful to witness the magic and influence of the women of Wakanda. Let's talk about a few essential, women characters.

Nakia: Street fighter, Visionary & Partner

Nakia, T'Challa's former lover was a spy and street fighter in Wakanda. She had a mission to support the brothers and sisters of the kingdom. T'Challa was intrigued by his ex-lover so much so that he goes on a mission to find her and bring her back to witness his pronouncement as king. Upon becoming King, T'Challa seeks Nakia's partnership, but Nakia is committed to supporting ALL of the people Wakanda. This is her life's mission. As T'Challa journeys into his new role, he discovers new pieces to the puzzle. This helps him to expand the vision of Wakanda, his purpose and earns Nakia's companionship.

This relationship impacts the nation's vision. It is Nakia who first delivers this dream. Originally, T'Challa was committed to furthering the vision of his father, but her heart and tenacity served as a catalyst for influencing real change. Through his partnership with Nakia he was able to see beyond the Kingdom of Wakanda and begin to influence real change with his brothers and sisters of other nations. This expansion is imperative for the his reign and kingdom. Surely, Nakia was not the only character to bring him this vision, but she was the first. Through his seeking of her heart he was able to find his ultimate truth and purpose. Reminding us again, women are & always have been visionaries. It is the dreams, voices, hearts, and energy of women that has transformed communities, nations, and civilizations.

Let's also not forget, before T'Challa completes this purposeful movement, it is also Nakia who helps to save his life. If it had not been for her commitment to Wakanda , love of T'Challa, and her grabbing the herb necessary for his healing, he may never have had the opportunity to fight his way back to the throne.

Okoye- Commander & Leader

Okoye represented leadership, power and respect. Here we see a women as the head of a strong and powerful all woman army that protects the kingdom of Wakanda and the king. She is also the right-hand intelligence officer to the King. She serves. She protects. She leads. She advises. She remains loyal to her kingdom and her king.

Her leadership represents so much for the movie and women of color. She represents power, strength, wit, and skill. She masterfully unifies and leads an all woman militia and powerfully walks along side the king as his intelligence officer. Her character defies stereotypical assumptions about women in leadership, specifically women of color, as it takes away the negative connotations associated with black women's leadership, strength and dominance. She proves that is not only OK, but necessary for women of color to be strong leaders.

Meanwhile, we also witness a romantic power struggle between Okoye and her lover towards the end of the movie. He questions if she would choose Wakanda over him and she makes a firm stance to her allegiance. This scene represents a few, very powerful points. One it is a reminder of women's capability to be decisive & logical, even under pressure. Two, it is a reminder of the strength of feminine energy. Her lover kneels to her feminine prowess. Acknowledging his surrender to her love.

Shuri: Princess & Master scientist

Shuri's, the royal, single, scientific princess. Her noble character showed up in an unconventional way. She wasn't sitting in her castle awaiting her prince charming to come and save her. (She my last blog, Shattering Glass Ceilings for my thoughts on this topic.) Instead, her head was crowned with intellect and ingenuity. This methodical deity slayed the design of the black panther's wardrobe, healed bodies and saved lives through advanced medical science and revolutionized transportation.

Shuri's catalytic character depiction of princess-hood, served as a reminder of the importance of black women in scientific discovery. Shuri's portrayal acknowledged women's presence in the world of STEM. This story needs to be told. The ingenuity of women inventors is a historical anecdotal we cannot afford to skip over. It is also a modern day showcasing of the current importance of feminine inclusion in the STEM world.

Female casting: Creating an allegiance

Beyond the on set characters, each actress remained a SHEro by unifying communities of color. The entire cast was full of melanin, natural hair and tribal beauty. Okoye's bald head, Queen Ramonda's long white locs, Shuri's braids and Nakia's short natural puffs were an overt glorification of Afrocentric beauty.

There's even a scene where Okoye was forced to wear a wig as her disguise. For just a moment we see a glimmer of Eurocentricity enter the scene. Moments later, Okoye made her disgust known about sporting the wig. As soon as she entered a combat scene, she whipped it off of her head and continued to battle her attackers. This scene symbolized her black strength and beauty being enough to win the war.

So there you have it! Black Panther has a strong female casting which depicts the importance of SHEroism. Thank you, Ryan Coolger, for producing Black Panther and reminding us that black is beautiful, strong, resilient and powerful. More so, for reminding us that is our unity, love, loyalty and energy that is essential for the stabilization of humanity.

About the author:

Courtney Brookins is a mother, poet, author and educator. She published her first book, Flowering Yourself, which is a collection of poems. She is also the co-founder of OneSun3Flowers with her two daughters, which is an empowerment and leadership organization for women, girls, mothers and daughters.

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