Erik Killmonger; A Villain? A Hero? Or Just The Typical Black Kid In America?

Black Panther as a movie was a moment in history, a change of focus when it comes to how black people are represented and an opportunity for me to stop hating on Michael B Jordan after his incredible performance as Erik Killmonger!

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Even though I was super late on the Black Panther frenzy, I secretly wished that the movie didn’t match the hype so I could have a ”We Have To Talk” moment on Facebook (I had the name Pettykanda in mind for my campaign). Unfortunately for my natural tendency for pettiness, the movie surpassed the hype to me.

Although I liked the fact that my people felt empowered, or that it kicked Superman’s old-kryptonite-fearing butt by grossing 200 million and more in just a week. I simply liked the movie because guess what? It was a good movie.

It made me think. I related to the struggles and most of all, I might’ve been the only person in this theatre room and my whole Facebook friends’ list to understand this undeniable truth:

Erik Killmonger Was Right

About The Black Elite!

Before you send Wakandan pikes near my head or use Vibranium to make sense out of this, think for a second. What if Wakanda was, in fact, the suburbs where the black people usually escape once they ”make” it?

This desire to hide from the plights of others and create a select few circle. T’Challa was raised to believe that African-Americans and even other Africans were outsiders and didn’t belong to their society.

T’Challa concerns were about keeping the empire safe and maintaining a status quo. Colonization is a treat yes but is it better to turn your back on EVERY black nation?

A need to ”protect” their society and keeping their ”wealth & technology” to themselves to quote-unquote ”survive”. Is it that farfetched to match this behavior with our black elite who preaches this same mindset of elitism & separation?

Erik Killmonger might’ve been a Taliban version of Huey P. Newton and a little extra in some of his Hitleresque ideas for mass murders around the world. Perhaps, his disdain for the elite is something vibrant in a lot of kids coming from harsh environments.

He said that he trained, killed, lied and I think we all saw him shoot his own girlfriend in order to be ready to take over Wakanda. This particular line reminded me of all the scammers, robbers, ”fake deep” gangsters and drug dealers willing to go through a lot of trial and tribulations just to get to the promised land.

His taste for revenge is the same as the kid from the ghetto living in poverty. This desire to elevate his conditions, infiltrate the elite and redistribute resources for retaliation; it ain’t too far from what even Jay-Z is doing these days (when you take away the psycho-villain part of it).

Finally, what if Erik Killmonger was just a kid from Montreal-North trying to call out the Westmount rich black man who never does anything for his community?