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Fashion and activism collide at “Black Panther” screenings

Monique
T'Challa, in his Black Panther suit sans mask, studies his claws pensively. He's weighing the responsibility now on his shoulders.

(Photo credit: Marvel)

Happy Black Panther weekend, everyone! Marvel’s biggest film ever has touched the lives of many of its fans and has inspired many others to view themselves beyond the stereotypical paradigm. Thursday’s early screenings alone have shaken up the movie premiere experience forever thanks to a focus on fashion and activism.

#WakandaCameToSlay

Even though the official premiere of Black Panther is Friday, theaters began showing the film around 7 p.m. local time across the country, and fans everywhere came out dressed in their African finery. Black Girl Nerds started the fashion conversation by creating the hashtag #WakandaCameToSlay, encouraging folks to post their pictures on Twitter.

Fans certainly didn’t disappoint. Here are just a few pictures from the hashtag, which is still going strong.

https://twitter.com/EscoBlades/status/964279554012565504

https://twitter.com/CraigHill2017/status/964309539255390208

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https://twitter.com/BlairImani/status/964308807798181888

You can see more pictures at The Hollywood Reporter.

#WakandaTheVote

Not only are fans breaking out their finest duds to see the film in royal style, but fans are also taking political action by registering to vote. Blavity scored an exclusive interview with Kayla Reed, Jessica Byrd, Rukia Lumumba, founders of the Electoral Justice Project (EJP), a project by the Movement for Black Lives. They’ve created an initiative called #WakandaTheVote, which uses Black Panther as a launching pad to create a stronger Black voting base.

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“This weekend we wanted to meet our people in Wakanda,” Reed and Byrd said to Blavity. “We know that for some it’s a superhero world, but we know that the world we deserve is still waiting to be built — and we want to build it! This upcoming spring and November 2018 midterm elections are an important step in building that new world, and we want to take every opportunity to engage our communities in the conversation of electoral justice. We will be registering people to vote at movie theaters across the country so that we can #wakandathevote at the ballot box.”

If there’s a group at your local theater asking you to #WakandatheVote, you’d better heed the call and register! T’Challa’s counting on you.

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