Marvel’s Black Panther continues to destroy box office records on the final day of its opening weekend, making $218M at the time of this writing. Headlines insist that the film’s instant success was a surprise to the industry, since the industry notoriously insists there’s no mass appeal for films that don’t center around white people. However, the Movement for Black Lives knew that this film would be a phenomenal way to connect with black people, and activated a new project designed to capitalize on the crowds and get out the vote, just in time for 2018’s crucial midterm elections.
In October, Kayla Reed, Jessica Byrd and Rukia Lumumba launched the Electoral Justice Project (EJP), which is a project by the Movement for Black Lives that aims to fight for and advance the rights of black Americans.
Now, as part of the EJP's initiative and to coincide with the much-anticipated theatrical release of Black Panther, the women told Blavity that they are launching a new mission called #WakandaTheVote, an initiative that plans to mobilize political engagement at several "Black Panther" screenings around the country during the first few weeks of the film's opening.
When Roy Moore was defeated in Alabama, everyone figured it out right away: black people did that. Black women, in particular. A coordinated BLACK effort to elect Doug Jones kept an alleged pedophile out of office. It’s wild, wild stuff, we know, but when voters are informed AND motivated to go to the polls, our country wins—along with our values. That includes black people, even if politicians don’t quite seem to get that. As Daily Kos writer Denise Oliver Velez said after Jones’ victory, black voters get the short shrift from both the left and the right, and that must change.
In spite of concerted and ongoing efforts by white people to suppress and disenfranchise the black vote—not just in Alabama—we continue to be the most dependable Democratic Party voting block. Period.
Wake up and smell the black coffee, folks.
I have been saying for years that the Democratic Party needs to focus major efforts on getting black folks their voting rights.
There is nothing progressive about ignoring black Democrats.
The forces behind EJP know this, and thus their work goes further than just encouraging people to get a voting sticker. The org is determined to engage people who have never felt like the “conversation of electoral justice” has been a place where they were welcome, and give them a political home that helps them build their community’s political involvement, which drives political power. So far, more than 40 registration locations have been established.
Politics and popular culture have always fed off of each other, and voter registration drives are no exception. Whether it’s MTV and Rock the Vote fighting to make voting sexy to young people, or Sean Combs Vote or Die trying for the same with black people, these initiatives make space for voters that traditional politicians have traditionally ignored.
And, as the team behind EJP tells Blavity, it works.
"We are effective because we meet our communities where they are, whether that's in the streets, at the city council meeting, or in the movie theater.
"This weekend we wanted to meet our people in Wakanda."
Black Panther has been remarkably well-received by critics and moviegoers alike. The political superhero flick is a thrill ride skillfully built of layers that make people want to change the world after they see it. The Electoral Justice Project is brilliantly placing themselves along the path of joyful black people who are moved and inspired by the undeniable political depth of a film they’ve been waiting a lifetime to see. They’re coming to them, and encouraging them to help become the change they want to see.
We’re 100 percent here for #WakandaTheVote.