Fandom Done Right: DC Fans Rally Together To Get BLACK PANTHER Screening For Bronx Kids

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It’s really awesome to see when superhero fans actually heed the example of their fictional idols.

Self professed DC super-fans Sheraz and Zayyan Farooqi have started a GoFundMe page as part of a wider initiative known as the #BlackPantherChallenge. Their goal is to raise enough money to host a screening of the Marvel Studios’ next superhero epic, Black Panther for the kids of Areté Education in the Bronx, NY.

From their GoFundMe profile:

“Lifelong fans of superheroes, brothers Sheraz and Zayyan know the impact these heroes can bring to children of all ages. While being DC fans at heart, they realize the impact that Black Panther can have on our society. Black Panther is an event unlike any other that gives people of color, most importantly, children of color as chance to see themselves as the main hero. Using their platform of ComicBook Debate, Sheraz asks for everyone to help pitch in and take a great group of kids to see this monumental film.”

You can access their special Go Fund Me page RIGHT HERE!

The #BlackPantherChallenge was started by Frederick Joseph, a representative of the Boys & Girls Club of Harlem, to challenge others to host screenings of Black Panther for underprivileged children in communities around the United States. One such sponsor is Oscar-winner Octavia Spencer, who is hosting just such a screening in Mississippi.

On a personal note, I can’t tell you how it warms my heart to see this challenge flourish the way that it has. It is unfortunately way to commonplace for animosity and ugliness to find it’s way into our beloved fandoms. The reactions to The Last Jedi and the recent attempts to bury Black Panther‘s audience score are just recent examples of such vitriol.

It breaks my heart.

To act in such a way betrays the lessons that the like of Wonder Woman, Spider-Man and countless others have instilled in us. The Farooqi brothers are not just hosting a superhero movie. They are passing on the lesson and the responsibility that comes with heroism.

Remember, it’s not who we are underneath, but what we do that defines us.