Washington: My wife and i were in a movie theatre enjoying a screening of ‘Black Panther’ when she nudged my attention towards two boys in the row ahead. Excited middle school kids they were, bouncing up and down, mouthing the dialogue, pumping the air. Clearly this was not their first visit to mythical Wakanda. Both were white. Neither seemed bothered that the movie was a triumphant telling of a fairytale about vibranium-powered black Africans.
It’s possible that race relations were on our minds that afternoon. Before the movie, we had been discussing an essay by Michele Norris on race in America in the March 2018 issue of National Geographic. She discussed the shifting demographics in the United States that are fuelling fears that white culture and standing are under threat.
The above excerpt was originally published in The Times of India.
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