Big Baltimore Personalities Help Students See 'Black Panther'
BALTIMORE (WJZ)-- It was an experience of a lifetime for hundreds of West Baltimore students Tuesday.
Students from Matthew Henson Elementary got a chance to see the hit movie Black Panther with the help of some well-known names.
Teacher Aaron Maybin is giving every child at the elementary school the chance to see the blockbuster hit.
Maybin, who has now seen the movie four times, says he wanted his students to learn more about the movie's powerful message.
He also says the lessons, message, and pride of African culture he felt after seeing the movie for the first time, is a lesson he wanted to share with every student at Matthew Henson Elementary.
"I thought about how culturally significant and necessary this movie is right now," he says. "This movie really highlights all of those areas and it does so to where a kid can understand, grasp and let their mind run."
Maybin announced Monday night that Orioles center fielder Adam Jones and WERQ-FM's DJ Flow are helping to provide tickets for more than 200 anxious student to step up on board for a bus ride trip to Wakanda.
RELATED: Baltimore Teacher Teams Up With Adam Jones To Take Students To 'Black Panther'
"Continue to strive for excellence. You kings and queens and very, very powerful," Jones said on Twitter.
Maybin drew national attention to heating issues in Baltimore City schools earlier this year with a video of his students bundled up in a freezing classroom. He wrote in a Facebook post that Jones also supported efforts to repair damaged infrastructure in schools.
"I want them to walk out of that theater holding their heads a little higher, sticking their chests out a little bit more and really embracing the identity of culture and the identity of who they are," Maybin said.
For some, it was a chance to not only see the movie for the first time but to also experience a movie theater.
"Be brave, be bold, and fight for your family," one student said.
More students will get a chance to see the movie next week.
Ticket sales from the movie are poised to top $1 billion worldwide.
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