It’s not surprising that Obama addressed the movie’s representation of minorities, because she talked about the important issue as first lady. In a 2016 interview with Variety, for example, she explained the need for diversity in entertainment, and the crucial role it plays for children. “For so many people, television and movies may be the only way they understand people who aren’t like them ... People who come from intact families who are educated, who have values, who care for their kids, who raise their kids — if you don’t see that on TV, and you don’t live in communities with people like me, you never know who we are, and you can make and be susceptible to all sorts of assumptions and stereotypes and biases, based on nothing but what you see and hear on TV,” Obama said. “So it becomes very important for the world to see different images of each other, so that, again, we can develop empathy and understanding.”She added: “There are still millions of people who live in communities where they can live their whole lives not having contact or exposure with people who aren’t like them, whether that is race or religion or simply lifestyle. The only way that millions of people get to know other folks and the way they live … is through the power of television and movies.”Representation has been no small part of why “Black Panther” has been so well received, even before its release on Friday.

Source: Huffington Post February 19, 2018 19:30 UTC