In this introductory chapter, an invitation is provided to begin a journey into the intricacies of Black Caribbean immigrant literacies through the use of Black Panther and Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, as exceptional Black imaginaries already inscribed in the world. Through the adept depiction of racialization and transracialization steeped in the Black experience in the US as juxtaposed against the notion of Black immigrants as a ‘model minority,’ the necessity for examining race in relation to the languaging and semiotizing of Black Caribbean immigrants is outlined. Presenting a brief overview of the emerging global project focused on racialized language, this chapter lays the groundwork for the painting of a compelling portrait of the holistic literacies of Black Caribbean immigrant youth. By signaling the attention to an ultimate positioning of flourishing as a necessary imperative for and alternative to rethinking literacies based on ‘success,’ the chapter concludes with a focus on solidarity between Black Caribbean and other populations as a key impetus for this work.

Beginning with the widely discussed poem read by the young poet Amanda Gorman at the inauguration of President Joe Biden, this brief conclusion addresses the vital role that poetry continues to play in our cultural life, while also suggesting how much the borders of the poetic canon have irrevocably shifted since the beginning of the period this book covers. The chapter concludes this study by reflecting on how American poetry has responded in myriad ways to the cultural changes and historical events that have punctuated American life since 1945, while undergoing dramatic evolution and change in terms of its form, style, and content.