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Moviegoers are praising this breakout character of 'Black Panther' for an amazing reason.

'Black Panther' is groundbreaking, but this brainy teen could change the world.

Meet Shuri.

Image via Marvel Entertainment.

Shuri is the wildly brilliant 16-year-old sister of T’Challa, who is king of Wakanda and the Black Panther.  

[rebelmouse-image 19472992 dam="1" original_size="716x298" caption="GIF from "Black Panther."" expand=1]GIF from "Black Panther."

In "Black Panther," we see the charming hero take to the crazy streets to capture villains, utilizing vibranium — Wakanda's invaluable and sought after metal — to keep Wakanda moving forward, mastering technologically advanced vehicles to chase villains and having the super suit and shoes to match.  

Guess who created all of those cool superhero tools?

[rebelmouse-image 19472993 dam="1" original_size="600x600" caption="GIF from "Black Panther."" expand=1]GIF from "Black Panther."

That’s right — young, brilliant Shuri.

T'Challa is dependent on Shuri’s creative, unique inventions and operations. Without her work, T'Challa couldn't succeed, and she plays a leading role in the fight for the survival of Wakanda.  

Basically Shuri, played by Letitia Wright, is a total badass genius. Oh, and she’s pretty brave and hilarious while doing it.

Moviegoers are singing praises for the character and the amazing opportunity she represents.

Shuri is lifted up as a black woman running the game in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM fields, as they're called). It's a portrayal of black women that audiences rarely see, and that representation is making waves.

Shuri is leading the most technologically advanced society in the dream African world of Wakanda. It's an incredible statement of how black women can and should be leaders in STEM fields.    

Shuri isn't there to be the romantic lead. She's not flighty, swooning, or presented as a prop of sexual desire. She doesn't need to be saved. She has her own story.Action movies haven’t historically represented women well and especially not women who are interested in science and tech. "Black Panther" has flipped that narrative on its head.

[rebelmouse-image 19472994 dam="1" original_size="564x309" caption="GIF from "Black Panther."" expand=1]GIF from "Black Panther."

Shuri’s brilliance is vital to keeping the vibrant society afloat and for defending it. She shows that women can successfully do whatever they want and believe, and society will greatly benefit from that.  

Unfortunately, this fact has been largely ignored in film, and in real life history. Scientists and technological wizards in film are often portrayed by white men, likely because of how the STEM industry looks like in the real world.

The disparity between men and women in STEM is staggering.

The numbers don't lie.

Women make up only 24% of the country's STEM workers, and the numbers are even smaller for black women. In 2012, black women took a total of 684 STEM degrees, in comparison to 6,777 for white men and 8,478 for white women.  

Despite these statistics, Shuri’s character shows just how awesome and creative the STEM field can be when we amplify opportunities for black women and create spaces for them to lead.

And Wright understands the gravity and importance of her character.      

Photo by Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images for Disney.

"[Shuri] shows that when you have people coming together to just take time to make characters well-rounded, well-thought-out, not one way, amazing things like that happen," Wright told HuffPost. "Having a character arc and journey is refreshing, so it’s good writing ... Now there’s a breakthrough of [audiences] seeing people [they] relate to and that’s refreshing."

Despite being ignored in STEM, disrespected by male counterparts, and left out of opportunities, women of color have made historic STEM contributions.

And these same accomplished black women are paving the way for future people of color to break through.

Organizations like Black Girls Code, The National Girls Collaborative Project, and the STEM Society for Women of Color, are working to make sure that girls of color are aware of the opportunities available to them and that they have the support needed to succeed.  

Shuri in "Black Panther" is showing black girls — hell, all black kids — just how essential their intelligence can be.

Let’s make sure that our society continues to make this story a reality in real life, too.    

Image via Marvel Entertainment.

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He 'won't lower his standards' to hire women. Why this comment tells us a lot.

This isn't just 'foot in mouth' disease. It's a deeply hidden synaptic pathway, temporarily illuminated.

A few days ago in a Bloomberg interview, businessman Michael Moritz was asked about the scarcity of women working at his company, Sequoia Capital.

His responses — among them that the firm is seeking women but is "not prepared to lower our standards" — were described by many as "open mouth, insert foot." Similar remarks across sectors and industries have been described this way, too.

But this foot-in-mouth characterization is wrong: It suggests that the speaker fumbled his words and misspoke.

What’s happening when Moritz talks about "lowering standards" is not a clumsy handling of speech. It’s this: In that moment, a deeply hidden synaptic pathway is temporarily illuminated.

When asked about Sequoia’s lack of women, Moritz said they were looking to hire more. But "what we’re not prepared to do is lower our standards," he said. Now, no one had asked, "Are you willing to lower your standards?" No: That was the question he heard when he was asked about hiring women. That was the association he made automatically.

Here, then, is a map of his synaptic firings: women → lower standards.

The synaptic pathway was revealed again at various points throughout the interview. As evidence of the company’s eagerness, he said, "We just hired a young woman from Stanford who is every bit as good as her peers," and later, "If they can meet our performance standards, we’ll hire them." No one had asked, "Will you hire women who can’t meet standards or are not as good as men?" That was his association: women → not as good → exception → as good as a man.

Again, the problem here is not that he misspoke. The problem is that the idea that women are not as good is so deeply embedded in the minds of so many people in positions of power that it is not even recognized. It’s a belief system that leads one to automatically, and without awareness, connect "women" with "lower standards" and "woman as good as a man" with "the exception."

The cumulative effects of this belief system are profound.

It’s why women must be two and a half times as good as men to be considered equally competent. It’s why holding blind auditions for orchestras increase women’s chances of advancing to final rounds by 50%. It’s why professors who receive requests for mentorship from prospective students are less likely to respond if the request comes from a woman. It’s why women are hired and promoted based on proof while men are hired and promoted based on potential.

Moritz himself is a great example of these studies. In the interview, he suggests that the pipeline of women in tech is the problem. But he was a history major and journalist when hired by Sequoia. They "took a risk" on him; at the time he was hired, he says, he "knew nothing about technology."

Transgender people who experience the workplace as both men and women are often the most eloquent observers of this phenomenon.

As transgender biologist Ben Barres famously overheard another scientist say after he’d transitioned from Barbara to Ben, "Ben Barres gave a great seminar today, but then his work is much better than his sister’s."

Why don’t we notice this phenomenon most of the time? Because except for during moments like Moritz’s interview, this deeply embedded belief system is rarely given explicit, legible form. And because it’s usually unspoken, so it’s difficult to fully examine, question, and eradicate. A slip-of-the-tongue like Moritz’s is like the scent added to natural gas: tangible evidence of an invisible presence.

So this is where we must start: We must first acknowledge the existence of this belief.

When Moritz says, as he did in the interview, "I like to think, and genuinely believe, that we are blind to someone’s sex," it should sound an alarm.

Classic studies have shown that those who claim to be objective make the most biased judgments of all. Moritz is widely considered a leader in his industry, but true leadership would begin with this history major examining his belief that the "pipeline" of women in technology is the problem.

Foot-in-mouth moments are not fumbles, they are the opportunity.

We must seize these moments to draw attention to a pernicious belief system, excavate it, and ultimately eradicate it. The gifts of 50% of the population are at stake. And the world’s problems are too great to do without them.

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