Afrocentrism And The Black Panther

The understanding of the necessities of an Afrocentric point of view being represented in science fiction and fantasy is only new to the mainstream. The fact is, however, that many of the most recognizably mainstream ideas to date can be directly attributed to such unheralded giants in the genre as the influential Octavia Butler  (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Octavia_E._Butler), whose works are currently being adapted for television by the formidable Ava DuVernay, N. K. Jemisin, the first black writer to win the Hugo Award for Best Novel and Nnedi, Okorafor, who's work, Who Fears Death, has been optioned for series by HBO with backing from George R.R. Martin, author of the book series responsible for A Game Of Thrones.

These voices and many many more have not only made significant contributions to the genre of science fiction and fantasy, but they have created their own space within it, finding their own place of empowerment. This creative space is of the utmost importance, because our stories are historically unique and our voices, therefore, are uniquely qualified to tell our stories.

It is no surprise then that such a wealth of ideas, heralded by such a diversity of talent, would eventually find its way into the mainstream. The surprise should be in just how long it took for a diversity of perspective to finally be considered as a fiscally viable option for a diverse audience.

Growing up, I didn't know any of my peers who did not know who the Black Panther was, but the idea that such a character could create such a tremendous global impact would take nearly 40 years for Hollywood to recognize. Meanwhile, we always knew that the essence of such a character was universally appealing. We knew that T'Challa was a bad ass.

If the rest of the world didn't see it, then, oh well. He was ours(despite his creative origins) and we were fine with that.

With the initial creation of the Black Middle Class, however, our experiences, our desires for entertainment, for art, for music and dance and works of fiction and more, has continued to expand along with our increased access to American style consumerism and the demand for inclusion. Yet, our interests have been either ignored or relegated to an inferior b-list, second- class status.

This has a lasting and damaging effect, least of which is a subconscious determination that our stories are of lesser value, that our experiences are inferior and inherently uninteresting.

If this is how we are ultimately perceived by those in culturally influential decision making positions, then it is no wonder that it has been so difficult getting positive representations of us green-lit, respectfully developed and presented. It is most important then to continue to encourage a diversity of output by all of our artists and writers. We must continue to document our stories, create and explore our fictional worlds and wonders. We must support each other, offer encouragement, understanding and positive critique.

In order to wrest control of our story from those without our best interests in mind, we must continue to openly celebrate our contributions to the mainstream mythology, even as we celebrate our cultural identity as an important part of it.

Our stories are just as necessary to the overall definitions of humanity. It's high time then that we are recognized for our value, as well.