BALTIMORE -- Hundreds of elementary school students were surprised with free tickets to see the premiere of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever on Sunday at The Senator Theatre.
The lucky students at City Springs Elementary Middle School learned of their reward Monday morning.
And, they were excited.
"I feel really good because we worked hard for it, student Amira said.
The premiere is a collaboration between WJZ and The Baltimore Baltimore, which puts on a day at the movies for hundreds of school children.
The event features the premiere, concessions and inspirational messages from from WJZ talent, the Baltimore Banner, and Ravens players.
The premiere of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever will be an experience teachers like Wyatt Oroke hope will be not only be memorable, but also an opportunity for conversations in the classrooms.
"Representation is great," Oroke said. "Seeing themselves as kings and queens and rulers and superheroes is amazing. Having access to those images is equally as important."
Through community partnerships, the goal is to support positive narratives and experiences for Baltimore's future generation.
"We believe that education is fundamental to strengthening, uniting and inspiring our communities," said Andre Jones, head of People Culture and Diversity at the Baltimore Banner.