Black Panther, the biggest, Blackest movie of the year, comes out this weekend.
In an effort to give Black audiences a chance to see themselves on the big screen, many celebrities and charitable members of the community have teamed up to give out tickets.
— ‘Black Panther’ petition urges Marvel to invest portion of revenue in Black communities —
The latest celebrity is rapper T.I., who teamed up with Walmart to give out tickets to Black Panther in the Atlanta area, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
“Me and @Walmart joined efforts to support the community with free tickets for customers to attend an Advance Screening of @MarvelStudios @theblackpanther. We gave away 300 tickets to deserving families yesterday at the Cascade Walmart store. #BlackPanther,” T.I. tweeted on Tuesday.
— ‘Black Panther’ already most tweeted-about movie in the world in 2018 —
The Black Panther Challenge
The #BlackPantherChallenge, in which people step forward to help underserved communities and children afford to see the biggest, Blackest movie of the year, started with Frederick Joseph. It has spread through the country, with big names like Snoop Dogg and Viola Davis also stepping up to the plate.
Amariyanna “Mari” Copeny, also known as “Little Miss Flint,” also stepped up for the challenge.
She and her cousins have set up a GoFundMe page to help marginalized children go to see the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s first Black-led movie.
— Lena Waithe’s ‘Twenties’ comedy gets pilot order from TBS —
Me and @Walmart joined efforts to support the community with free tickets for customers to attend an Advance Screening of @MarvelStudios @theblackpanther. We gave away 300 tickets to deserving families yesterday at the Cascade Walmart store. #BlackPanther pic.twitter.com/S74W8x4Ai9
— T.I. (@Tip) February 13, 2018
“This campaign is apart of the #BlackPantherChallenge, a challenge started by Frederick Joseph in New York City. This is important for every child especially those of color, to see themselves represented in a cinematic feature film. It is so important that marginalized children see a representation of themselves, especially in a city like Flint, Michigan,” the page reads.
And recently, Octavia Spencer bought out an entire movie theater in Mississippi to give the community a chance to see Black Panther.
“I will be in [Mississippi] when this movie opens,” Spencer wrote on Instagram. “I think I will buy out a theatre in an underserved community there to ensure that all our brown children can see themselves as a superhero. I will let you know where and when Mississippi. Stay tuned.”
Black Panther hits theaters on February 16, and we couldn’t be more excited.