He has tried to explain some of that history to his 7-year-old daughter, but without delving too deeply into complex concepts like Western imperialism, which she may struggle to grasp. He is completing “Rise of the Black Panther,” a six-part comic series for Marvel that traces the character’s early history. “I’m conflicted,” said Evan Narcisse, a senior writer for the website io9. ![]() Black history and Black fantasy are central to the character, and the series has brought on prominent Black writers including Ta-Nehisi Coates to deepen its significance over the last 50 years.Ĭonsequently, some parents have felt pressure to hammer home Black Panther’s heroism through the lens of race. Untouched by European invaders, Wakanda exists apart from the legacies of colonization and racism. Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby in 1966, Black Panther rules as the king of an African technological utopia known as Wakanda. “But on the flip side, I think it’s also great to have a Black superhero you can identify and connect to.” “For a white kid to be so open and judge based on the character’s story and the personality and history, I think that’s what’s important,” said Dimacali, 29, a social media and marketing manager. Sawyer himself, during the interview with Dimacali, said, “sure,” when she asked if he’d like to dress up as Black Panther. Mary Dimacali echoed that idea, explaining that her fiancé’s 7-year-old son, Sawyer, who is white, does not see the film or its characters through the lens of race. I think the beautiful thing about comics is they do transcend race in a lot of ways.” Just like our kid who’s not white dresses up like Captain America. “When I look at it, I see no reason why a kid who’s not Black can’t dress like Black Panther. “I’m actually wondering now what it might be like for that parent who’s not of color if his kid comes home and says, ‘I want to dress up like Black Panther,’” said Katrina Jones, 39, the director of human resources at Vimeo. Some argue that placing racial boundaries around expressions of fandom is unnecessary. Many parents are split on how Black Panther’s Blackness should figure into their children’s relationship to the character. “There’s not a whole lot of Black superheroes, so this is a really important thing, especially for Black kids growing up.” “As parents, or even as the people creating costumes, we need to be very aware of what that says,” said Brigitte Vittrup, an associate professor of early childhood development and education at Texas Woman’s University. What does that dual significance mean for children? And, perhaps more urgent, what does it mean for the parents who will buy the costumes for them? ![]() At worst, they could be perceived as an unwitting form of cultural appropriation, which has in recent years become a subject of freighted discourse. At best, the character get-ups speak to the enthusiastic embrace of a Black superhero. ![]() Black Panther costumes - whether the character’s full raiment or just his claws and mask - are on toy store shelves (and, of course, on Amazon).
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