lincoln's gift

Carolyn and I had dinner and a movie this Thursday evening.
For some reason, I actually read the beer list. Usually, I don't even look at it.
As I've said before, there are no coincidences.
(smile)
One brew on tap was Lincoln's Gift from Service Brewing - and it was a stout.
So, not only was it one of my favorite types of beer, it was also named in honor of the President responsible for helping to abolish slavery in the USA.
Well, just wrap it up and put a Bow Tie on it!
The point being made could not have been more obvious.
How could I not order and imbibe?
After all, our next stop was to Spotlight for the "early" screening of "Black Panther".
She had purchased our tickets to this third - and final - "early" screening around 6 PM.
The two earlier showings were sold out.
We had been eagerly awaiting this latest installment from Marvel Studios.
The previews had us enthralled with the colorful costuming, stunning scenery, fascinating folklore, and panther pounces!
RAWR!

Neither of us have read the "Black Panther" series from Marvel comics. First appearing from the pen of Stan Lee, as writer, and inked by Jack Kirby, the character burst onto the changing social scene in the USA in 1966.
T'Challa shared many of the same characteristics as Stan Lee's Iron Man, created just three years earlier. The African prince-who-would-become king was smart, rich, charismatic, handsome, being both an inventive scientist and a techno-head.
But there was a marked difference between the two men.
Tony Stark was white; T'Challa was black.
Moreover, most of the characters which populated the new series were black.
But the Black Panther was destined to unite his people with all peoples of the world, to lend his knowledge and science to helping those less fortunate, to use technology to bring about change in a peaceful manner.
Sound like anyone from the history books?
Martin Luther King, Jr., immediately sprang to my mind.
In 1966, he was trying to bring about peace between the different races in this country, to bring about equal rights for all people, to bring about opportunities for all to succeed.
He was also striving to end black-on-black crime, to encourage brotherly love, to raise up communities instead of individuals.

Stan Lee is a man of vision.
"Black Panther", the comic book, was his way of showing support for Martin Luther King, Jr. and his ideals, his dreams.
"Black Panther", the movie, is his way of renewing his support of those same dreams.
In his way, he has been fighting the good fight for more than half a century.
I hope every screening this weekend is sold out.