Real superhero: Durham teacher rents theater so students can watch Wakanda Forever

The movie goes way behind heroes vs. villains, and puts something important on display: Representation.

That's why a high school English teacher – one of the real superheroes in our community – put together an outing so all her students  could watch the movie together.

"Not only do I allow them to see themselves in the books that they read, but I make sure that they see themselves in the movies that we can see," she said.

Her students see their teacher as a hero.

"Professor Davis has always supported me like this. She's like my second mom," said Trinity Richardson, one of her students.

Richardson, the Black Panther franchise is a model of diversity, matching what she sees in school.

"We're all very different, and going to Hillside we're all very different," she said. "It's good to see that kind of representation."

Davis says she wants to make sure her all of her students feel seen.

While Hillside students got this early look, Durham attorney Julian Hall has rented out a theater on Sunday for 100 kids and teenagers.

"It's all about reaching back and pulling up the ones behind you," he said.

Hall says African American men can be marginalized in cinema, and Black Panther flips the script.

"It tells somebody that 'Maybe I can be a superhero,'" he said. "I feel like everybody has a bit of a superhero within them."

While young people are excited to see themselves represented in superheroes on-screen, they find real-life heroes in mentors like Hall and Davis.