How Modern Media Images Challenge Racial Stereotypes and Redefine Black Identity

When white explorers first encountered the Great Zimbabwe, they were convinced that the massive stone structures were built by a vanished race of white people since Africans were widely regarded as being incapable of creating these impressive buildings. More recent scholarship, however, has dispelled these misperceptions but the harsh reality remains that the African American community is still widely regarded by many people of other races as somehow inferior, and these misperceptions have sustained and even exacerbated longstanding racially based animosities. The recent motion picture, “Black Panther,” though, challenges these stereotypes and recasts the black protagonist as a legitimate superhero on the same caliber as other notable comic figures such as Batman and the Green Arrow, two other major characters that did not have superpowers but rather relied upon their own natural abilities. The purpose of this paper is to analyze the manner in which an exclusively black kingdom that is both technologically modern as well as aesthetically African to extrapolate how the future can be reimaged from an African-centered perspective. Finally, a summary of the research and important findings concerning these issues are provided in the paper’s conclusion.
Review and Analysis
Black Panther is the first mega-budget fictional superhero movie with a predominantly black cast, causing it to fill a lacuna in international cinema--the absence or stereotyped portrayal of Africans and their continent in international cinema. According to one media analyst, “[Black Panther] was te eighteenth movie in the Marvel Cinematic Universe released on February 16, 2018, as the entertainment industry is wrestling with its toxic treatment of women and persons of color and it was regarded as overdue" (Aiyesimoju, 2018, p. 96). In sum, “Black Panther” depicts an African kingdom that is not only scientifically progressive, it is also generous and willing to share its knowledge with the rest of the world for the betterment of all humankind. To their credit, the cast and director of “Black Panther” succeeded in creating this alternative yet completely feasible scenario by drawing on what Aiyesimoju (2018) describes as “elements of a variety of deep African heroic cultures” that “climax with the Afro-complementary gesture of T'Challa sharing the resources and technology of Wakanda with the rest of the world” (p. 97).
In other words, “Black Panther” is effective in helping both black and white people re-imagine a future that is fundamentally different but far better because of it. In this regard, Aiyesimoju (2018) concludes that in the movie, “The action symbolizes healthy global interaction without undermining national and continental sovereignty and individuality . . . emphasizing Africa's uniqueness” (p. 97). By placing the action in an exclusively African kingdom that enjoys the same level of modernity and scientific achievements as developed nations around the world, “Black Panther” forces viewers to re-imagine a future in which equality is the status quo and where longstanding negative stereotypes no longer influence the manner in which blacks are regarded by others as well as by black people themselves. Notwithstanding the growing body of research that has discredited even the concept of race as a myth (Shea, 2018), it is reasonable to suggest that most laypersons understand race of relating to the continent where an individual’s parents were born (Shea, 2018).
Since race has long been used as a way to distinguish the majority from the minority in most civilizations, it is little wonder that these factors have also affected how people view others and themselves as well as their behaviors. For instance, according to Markus, “Race and ethnicity influence identity and behavior in a wide range of ways, and this influence depends on the majority or minority status of the group with which one is associated, and how others see this group, and with the particulars of the context” (p. 359). Therefore, an exclusively African kingdom would be in the majority, and this would invariably translate into different ways of thinking about themselves and other groups. Indeed, in the preface to Doing Race, the authors make the point that, “Even people without ‘racist’ thoughts or feelings will participate in the process of doing race just by being part of a society that is organized according to race” (p. xi). This observation indicates that even though the concept has been scientifically discredited, race still plays an enormous important role in shaping individual thoughts about others, even among the most enlightened and progressive thinkers.
A fully developed and empowered African kingdom that is exclusively black may delight many if not most of the black community, but it is clear that the concept also scares the bejabbers out of many white people, especially those living in the United States where a century and a half of Jim Crow inspired legislation has been specifically designed and intended to prevent black people from gaining any further inroads into the American dream, including participation in the political process. This point is also made by Morris (2018) who reports, “To the conservative Christians, Black Panther's display is blatant and jarring against the backdrop of grassroot Black empowerment. The Black Panther movie is infused with rich Black power, authenticity, and inspiration, and this infuses the viewer” (p. 74).
Whether viewers will be positively or negatively “infused” by the movie, however, likely depends on whether they are black or white (or Asian or Native American for that matter). Because race has long served as a means of dividing countries, especially the United States, it is also not surprising that many people of all races are heavily influenced by negative stereotypes about black people. In fact, the message has been so pervasive and even some people of color have bought into the notion that they are somehow “less equal” than their white counterparts (Loewen, 1995).
Consequently, movies such as “Black Panther” go a long way towards not only dispelling negative stereotypes about blacks, they serve as a catalyst for self reflection that can lead to improved relations between blacks and other groups. Likewise, the scientifically advanced blacks that characterize people in “Black Panther” may help inspire more young black people to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics or STEM. The need for this type of inspiration is pronounced in the United States. For example, according to Schneider and Judy (2012), “Participation of blacks in STEM careers continues to lag that of whites and Asians. Projections suggest that the proportion of underrepresented minorities in science and engineering would need to triple to match their proportions in the U.S. population” (p. 63). While it is unlikely that large numbers of African Americans will attempt to carve out an exclusively black, scientifically advanced Atlantis type utopian kingdom in Africa or elsewhere, it is likely that greater participation by blacks in these professional career fields will help to bring the vision depicted in “Black Panther” to fruition in the foreseeable future, perhaps within one or two generations.
This is not to say, of course, that the future for African Americans is not challenged by the aforementioned negative stereotypes, many of which remain firmly in place among conservative white Americans. It is to say, though, that “Black Panther” and its ilk bring a new way of thinking about this future because it underscores the fact that like the Great Zimbabwe, black people are capable of virtually anything anyone else is, and the uniqueness of the African experience further contributes to this process. This aspect of the movie was reinforced by the juxtaposition of traditional weapons such as spears and shields with ultra-modern weaponry and “Iron Man”-type exoskeleton suits.
Given the dearth of black superheroes in the science fiction genre over the years, it is also likely that the novelty of the Black Panther character helped to fuel the movie’s popularity among blacks and whites, but the movie’s authenticity and high production standards also clearly contributed to “Black Panther’s” success at the box office. These factors also serve to help dispel many of the negative stereotypes about blacks that have kept racism alive in the American consciousness even if people refuse to admit, even to themselves, that they are racist to some extent.
The same type of situation existed during the closing years of the U.S. Civil War when a desperate Confederacy offered black slaves their freedom if they joined the armed forces (and the South won). The fact that the Confederacy was willing to disregard the ideological foundation upon which it was based (e.g., that the natural state for blacks was enslavement because they were unfit for anything else) indicates that pragmatism can conquer even the most powerful racial stereotypes, and there is a corresponding need today to erase these hate-filled beliefs once and for all.
Movies such as “Black Panther” do much to facilitate this process. Indeed, it is likely that hundreds or even thousands of young white children have been inspired by the heroics and advanced technologies depicted in this movie, and many of these likely aspire to be just like the Black Panther without taking pigmentation into account whatsoever. This same response took place when Jackie Robinson became a baseball legend, and many young white boys aspired to be just like him – to the dismay of their parents. Although many Africa Americans have made major contributions to the STEM fields over the years, most white Americans can probably only cite Booker T. Washington’s seminal work as a prominent example.
Nevertheless, African Americans have become increasingly visible in STEM-related fields, with astrophysicist and television personality Neil deGrasse Tyson representing just one among a growing number. In fact, there have been 14 African American astronauts, including women and those who died in the Space Shuttle Columbia disaster in 2003. In essence, times are changing slowly but surely, and increasing numbers of African Americans are pursuing professional careers, many of them in STEM-related fields. The pace of change, however, is painfully slow when compared to the rapidly growing numbers of whites and Asians employed in these career fields.
By helping all Americans re-imagine the future from an African/black-centered perspective, motion pictures such as “Black Panther” can help raise awareness of the rich cultural aspects of the African continent as well as empowering young black people to pursue careers in STEM fields that have traditionally been dominated by whites. In other words, “Black Panther” has helped continue a self-fulfilling prophecy concerning a better future for black people everywhere, an outcome that would benefit all humankind in the process.
Conclusion
Although the “city of the future” that is depicted in “Black Panther” may not be just around the corner, many of the other innovations used in the movie had their basis in real-world existing technologies that will continue to improve in the future. Creating a better world through technology is certainly not a new idea, but the need has become far greater than in the past when the globe’s very survival depending on humankind’s ability to respond to the peak oil crisis and global warming which threatens countries around the world. For most fans of “Black Panther,” it is reasonable to conclude that they hope that the world of the future is a meritocracy that ignores the scientifically discredited concept of race in favor of individuals’ abilities and integrity.

References
Aiyesimoju, A. B. (2018, August) Black Panther as Afro-complementary cinematic intervention: Lessons for Africa south of the Sahara movie industries. Journal of Pan African Studies, 11(9), 96-101.
Loewen, J. W. (1995). Lies my teacher told me. New York: The New Press.
Markus, H. R. Who am I? Race, ethnicity and identity (ch. 13).
Morris, L. (2018, August). To the ancestral plane: African spiritism in Ryan Coogler's Black Panther (Marvel Studios, 2018) and the desensitization to spiritualism in Hollywood. Journal of Pan African Studies, 11(9), 73-76.
Schneider, B. & Judy, J. (2012, September). Boosting STEM interest in high school: A project at Michigan State University shows how public high schools can influence the number of students headed toward STEM careers. Phi Delta Kappan. 94(1), 62-65.
Shea, J. (2018). Refuting a myth about human origins. American Scientist. Retrieved from https://www.americanscientist.org/article/is-race-real.