Entertainment Weekly’s 2018 Entertainers of the Year is finally more diverse than years past
BEVERLY HILLS, CA – JANUARY 30: (L-R) Actors Letitia Wright, Danai Gurira, and Lupita Nyong’o attend the Marvel Studios’ BLACK PANTHER Global Junket Press Conference on January 30, 2018 at Montage Beverly Hills in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images for Disney)
The women of the Black Panther
Rightfully, Black Panther has been one of the most notable highlights of 2018, and we’re forever thankful for that because we needed the Dora Milaje to distract us from this garbage fire of a year. EW included Angela Bassett, Danai Gurira, Lupita Nyong’o, and Letitia Wright in its list.
Their characters in Black Panther are enough to earn Bassett, Gurira, Nyong’o and Wright as spot on any list meant to celebrate influencing people. Beyond physically fighting numerous antagonists and protecting the male lead (T’Challa) from danger, Gurira’s role as Okoye also feigned off misogynistic gaslighting.
When W’Kabi (played by Daniel Kaluuya) asked Okoye, “Would you kill me, my love?” we all know manipulation fueled this misdirection. Seeing Okoye completely recognize this and denounce this distraction was an empowering move. We’re glad that Okoye stayed true to her personal code of ethics and put her overwhelming love for Wakanda before anyone else.
Bassett’s role as Queen Ramonda in Black Panther is a hero in her own royal family and Wakanda itself, who’s always ready to “throw down” to protect her family. While these actresses’ roles in Black Panther obviously empower black women, the actresses behind the characters are equally and positively influential. As the queen of television and film, Bassett also continues vital discourse about heart health and diabetes. Basset has told NBC News how diabetes specifically impacts black people. Seeing an actress regularly educates people about health awareness makes Basset an incredible proponent for proactive treatment.
Along with Bassett’s advocacy for heart health and diabetic health, Gurira also supports healthier living (including what that means for each individual person). We’d personally like to thank Gurira for helping us develop a healthy relationship with exercise after she got candid about her exercise routine with People. Our workouts might never compare to Gurira’s, but that’s okay because we just want to get to the same level where we too can experience the same positive post-workout feeling.
And we could go on a multi-article tangent about why Letitia Wright and her portrayal as Shuri are incredibly influential (and we already have). Because Shuri is the smartest person in the MCU, Wright’s role in Black Panther can ripple into the real-world and inspired black women and women of color to fulfill their passion for STEM in a professional setting.
According to the 2013 study by the National Science Foundation, only 10.7 percent of STEM Bachelor’s degree-holders are black women. This study also predicts that specific STEM industries might underrepresent black women by approximately 800 percent less than non-black degree holders. Playing a character who is confirmed to be the smartest person in the cinematic universe can encourage young black women to pursue a career in STEM.