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.
