It's a slow period in the publishing arena for me. And since there's not much to report, I'll just do what I sometimes do and review a TV show or movie.
I was a kid when Stan Lee and Jack Kirby created the world's first black superhero Black Panther. He first appeared as a supporting character in the comic The Fantastic Four. I figure it was Jack Kirby who came up with the concept. But I might be wrong. It could be that Stan Lee told Jack to draw a superhero from Africa, i.e., the first black superhero, and Jack did. I'm content to give them both credit for the concept of the Black Panther and his backstory.
The concept was certainly unique. The Black Panther is the king of a hidden African kingdom, and not just another tribal kingdom, but one that more resembles the advanced technological nations of Europe, albeit, entirely African. And this fictitious nation called Wakanda will have a one-up on the European nations. It will have "vibranium" which is a rare metal from a meteor that landed in Wakanda some years earlier, and provides the means to create highly specialized devices.
For instance, Captain America's shield is made from vibranium. I never really learned just how the Americans managed to get the vibranium from Wakanda to make the shield, since no one was supposed to even know that Wakanda existed. Nevertheless, it's one example of a special something made from vibranium. And the movie came up with a bunch of other stuff as well.
The Black Panther, even as a kid was always one of my favorite superheros. You might ask me why. I'm not black. And I had no special connection to Africa. But there's one thing about me, and it's something that I wasn't taught. And it's something of which I can be proud. Skin color never mattered to me. It just never did. Throughout my youth, in the 60s and 70s, skin color was a non-issue to me even as all the riots and racism, (both white AND black racism, that is,) raged all around me.
To me people were people, and it didn't matter what color was their skin, what country was their origin, or what language did they speak. And to this day I remain the same. And when I see others who do not share that belief, I can only shake my head and consider them with disgust.
Whenever my students happen to bring up skin color or nationality in any negative way, I chastise them immediately. I tell them the same thing I just wrote above. And I ask them why does anyone have to consider people as white people, or black people, or brown people, or this kind of people or that kind of people? I ask them why cant we all just be PEOPLE, and leave it at that? And I can sense that they agree with me. It's a wonderful feeling to sense that from kids.
But for adults, perhaps it's just an impossible thing. Just like it's impossible to get rid of all the guns in this country. It's just an impossible thing. It's the world we live in. And however it goes, I won't be in it for that much longer. But my sons will and their sons. What's in store for them?
No comments:
Post a Comment