I’m listening to people calling into an NPR show (“On Point,” minus the harassy host who got fired) about Black Panther and getting kind of verklempt. I know I can’t fully understand what it means to people to see powerful positive mainstream representations of their identity and culture for the first time, but it’s enlightening to listen.

P.S. I hope this helps a lot of people realize that colorism and natural-hair-shaming are stupid. All of these actors are incredibly hot and I think people of a lot of different races, backgrounds, and sexual orientations are saying that. Newsflash: humans are attracted to humans of all skin tones, hair textures, body types, facial structures… Cultural beauty standards are learned and can be unlearned, or reconstructed.