200 students from Denver’s Hallett Academy will see “Black Panther” for free

“Representation matters,” the campaign’s note from organizer, singer and actress SuCh begins.

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Black Panther actress Janeshia Adams-Ginyard speaks with Denver musician SuCh at an opening for the movie at Alamo Draft House Cinema on West Colfax, Feb. 16, 2018. (Kevin J. Beaty/Denverite)  movie theater; alamo draft house cinema; black panther; denverite; denver; colorado; kevinjbeaty;

Black Panther actress Janeshia Adams-Ginyard speaks with Denver musician SuCh at an opening for the movie at Alamo Draft House Cinema on West Colfax, Feb. 16, 2018. (Kevin J. Beaty/Denverite) movie theater; alamo draft house cinema; black panther; denverite; denver; colorado; kevinjbeaty;

Since “Black Panther” hit theaters last month, we’ve seen a steady stream of the expected reactions — rave reviews, think-pieces, cosplaying, memes.

The unexpected trend: fundraising campaigns to send kids — particularly black kids — to see the movie.

Denver’s getting in on it with a successful GoFundMe campaign to buy tickets, snacks and drinks for 200 Hallett Academy students.

“Representation matters,” the campaign’s note from organizer, singer and actress SuCh begins.

“When my son saw ‘Star Wars: Episode VII’ at 5 years old, his reaction wasn’t ‘light sabers are so cool!’ or ‘I love robots!’ — it was, ‘Mommy, Finn has hair like ME.’ (Finn — John Boyega — is the first major Black lead in the Star Wars universe).”

Since the fundraiser began with a goal of $2,000 on March 1, it’s raised $2,671. Most of that was raised in less than two days. The extra funds will be donated to Hallett’s Arts and Sciences program, and the campaign is still accepting donations.

Here’s an introduction to Hallett Academy, it’s kids and its staff:

And here’s hoping the Hallett kids are as excited as the viral Atlanta kids:

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