NYU Alum Raises Over $25,000 For Kids In Harlem To Go See 'Black Panther'

People across the country have been getting their plans together for the release of Marvel’s Black Panther since 2016 and now a local New Yorker is making sure hundreds of kids from Harlem have a seat in the theater on opening weekend.

Fred Joseph set up a GoFundMe with an initial goal of $10,000, which he planned to use to send 300 youngsters from the Harlem Boys & Girls Club to see the highly-anticipated film when it’s released next month, but the response to the now-viral campaign brought in enough to send nearly three times as many kids to the theater.

“I knew I wanted to do something, but wasn’t sure what,”he told ABC News. “My mother mentioned, ‘You’re a marketer, why don’t you put those skills to good use?’ So, I decided to try and do crowd funding.”

To date, the NYU alum has raised over $25,000 towards the effort, which he says is all rooted in the importance of young children of color being able to see a superhero who looks like them AND is dedicated to fighting for what’s right.

Joseph is currently working  with Harlem Boys & Girls Club Director Executive Director, Dominique Jones, to organize the outing, which is sure to be an unforgettable day for all involved.