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It’s official, “Akon City” is still on its way! R&B sensation, Akon announced that construction for his futuristic pan-African city will begin next year, AP News reports. The $6 billion project will still proceed despite global tourism’s uncertain future due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Inspired by the hit film, “Black Panther,” Akon first set his sights on creating a utopian city back in 2018 and has described it as a “real-life Wakanda,” much like the technologically advanced fictional African place portrayed in the film. Akon hopes his city will serve as a “home back home” for Black Americans and others facing racial injustices. His aim is also to provide much-needed jobs for Senegalese. “The system back home treats them unfairly in so many different ways that you can never imagine. And they only go through it because they feel there is no other way,” Akon said, according to AP News. Born in the United States — to Senegalese parents — the “Lonely” singer spent the majority of his...
We know her as Shuri, the tech savvy Wakanda princess and little sister to T’Challa. However, off screen Letitia Wright shares the same passion for technology as her “Black Panther” character who has inspired young Black girls with her innovative vibranium powered tech inventions. Wright was inspired to learn more about tech after her role in the film and discovering how much of an impact Shuri made in regards to representation in a field that lacks diversity and inclusion. “You have to see something in order for you to understand that you can do it,” she said in a NowThis News interview . After the historic release of “Black Panther,” Wright was flooded with appreciation for portraying Black women and girls in tech. “And a floodgate just opened up for so many women saying, you know, thank you for representing us and stuff like that,” she told Anne-Marie Imafidon, co-founder of Stemettes. Wright visited with four young women who were competing in the Shell Eco-Marathon to discuss...
Girls at Coretta Scott King Young Women’s Leadership Academy got a star-studded surprise visit from Lupita Nyong’o and anchor Robin Roberts earlier this week. The “Black Panther” star made an appearance at the all-girls STEM school in Atlanta to congratulate students on their community efforts, according to Good Morning America. Nyong’o was awarded the title of “Most Likely to Succeed” from the GMA Yearbook and shared words of inspiration to girls who were also selected as most likely to succeed in their class. “When I look into this room I see problem solvers. I see creative thinkers. I see activists, but most importantly I see women who are learning how to learn and learners change the world,” Nyong’o said to the student body. “I feel like I’m looking into the faces of the future and it gives me deep hope to see how open, how alive and how positive that future could be.” In addition to speaking to the students, Nyong’o gave the academy a $25,000 check from DonorsChoose.org to go...