Forty people attended the Sept. 3 Morrison-McGinnis showing of “Black Panther” at the Angelika Film Center and built relationships through discussing social issues.
Momac at the Movies is a semi-annual community event put on by Morrison-McGinnis and its Faculty in Residence Mark Kerins.
Kerins started the event back in spring 2015 as a special thing for MLK day.
“People liked it and liked the idea, so I’m like maybe we can do this as an ongoing thing,” Kerins said.
The dorm, led by its Faculty in Residence, has cultivated an atmosphere of community. He also takes pictures of the event to post on the Morrison-McGinnis Instagram and website.
Kerins stated Momac at the Movies works because it allows large groups of students and others to interact and share their thoughts on cultural phenomena. Momac at the Movies is intellectual and educational, allowing students to think and reason outside of a strictly academic environment.
In keeping with the theme of community Momac exhibits, Momac at the Movies is an event tailored to bring the community together.
A discussion was also held regarding the cultural merits of “Black Panther.” Pizza was served before the discussion began in earnest, so people generally had a bit of time to digest their thoughts and a bit of food.
To Department of English Chair and Professor Darryl Dickson-Carr, “Black Panther” represents a positive portrayal of the African continent with parts drawn from a predominantly American understanding of the many cultures present.
“The main thing it does is: it tries to highlight the fact that first of all that there really is a legacy of, of slavery, of colonialism, that most Americans simply aren’t aware of,” Carr said.
Matthew Jackson, a student who attended Momac at the Movies, agreed with Carr. Jackson said “Black Panther” put together the amalgamation of African cultures that made up Wakanda quite well.
This discussion from multiple angles allowed for many perspectives and discussion on various cultural issues.
Amit Banerjee, a former resident of Momac, got to the crux of the matter, saying that people like movies and spending time with their friends.
Momac at the Movies is an event open to students from any dorm, as students like Banerjee and Jackson have attested. The next Momac at the Movies will be held sometime in the spring semester, according to Kerins.
