Community Center Director Raises $30,000 To Take Students To 'Black Panther'

BOSTON (CBS) - The newest marvel comics movie debuts this weekend, but to so many, Black Panther is not just another super-hero movie.

Hallie Dubysson, a student at TechBoston Academy, said the movie is inspiring.

"Seeing a black actor as a super hero is like seeing myself as a super hero. It's like seeing me up there," she said.

Since the debut of Iron Man in 2008, 16 marvel comics movies have been released. And every high flyer, strong man and web slinger in the starring role has been white. That's why many are calling Black Panther a cultural moment in American history.

Lianne Hughes is a teacher at TechBoston Academy, said the film represents inclusion and diversity.

"In mainstream America, there's always limited representation of people of color and I think it's important for our young people to see people who look like them that are not in this criminal or slave background," Hughes said.

Thousands of students across the country, including here in Boston, will get to see the new hit movie Black Panther for free.

You may have seen #blackpantherchallenge on Twitter.

Hundreds of campaigns are working to raise money to take students to the movie.

Liz Miranda, executive director of the Hawthorne Youth and Community Center in Roxbury, started raising money to send students to see the film. The idea and the funds grew quickly.

"I kind of set it up at a thousand kids because I thought that was really high and maybe I could get 500 kids and raise $10,000 but we've raised over $30,000 to be able to send 1,500 kids to see Black Panther," she explains.

The Go Fund Me page she started has raised more than $30,000.

The film is getting rave reviews among fans and critics. It is receiving a 97 percent rating from the popular movie critic website Rotten Tomatoes.

Boston film critic Lisa Simmons believes the movies mostly black cast brings an added dimension.

"It's not common and that's what is wonderful about it because it's not just what's in front of the screen it's also behind the screen and that's where the power is to tell your story," Simmons said.

The  big buzz should make for a lucrative weekend. Black Panther is projected to gross about $200 million in the next few days, making it one of the biggest openings in movie history.