Re “ ‘Black Panther’ pounces on box office,’ Free Press Feb. 22-24 edition:

My family and I enjoyed the documentary “1804: The Hidden History of Haiti” hosted by the Elegba Folklore Society on Feb. 17. It was a great opportunity to learn about Haitian history.

On Feb. 18, we saw the amazing “Black Panther” movie.

Now, I am smart enough to understand that “Black Panther” is an awesome work of fiction based on the Marvel Comics. But I also was able to observe the incredible storytelling skills it took to make this movie so great. Themes throughout the “Black Panther” movie paralleled themes discussed during the Haitian documentary we saw — (hopefully, no spoilers) colonization, slavery, the beautiful and powerful spirit of the African people, misuse and abuse of natural resources by others, the African nation Benin, the strength and power of our women. There are pages and pages of essay material here!

Each time an important theme was voiced in the movie, we would whisper to each other the similar ideals we’d seen and heard during the documentary.

My family and I love going to the movies, and have probably seen every DC Comics and Marvel Comics movie made. But it was indeed a blessing to see the Haitian documentary before watching “Black Panther.” It furthered our understanding of just how important it is to learn more about our history and the impact it has on us today. We were also enlightened to the importance of this awesome movie!

ROSE V. SMITH

Richmond