‘Black Lightning’ Brings The Thunder (Joshua Johnson, The 1A)

It’s been a long time since Jefferson Pierce suited up and set out to save his city, vigilante-style. But when his family gets caught up in street crime, Pierce revives his butt-kicking superhero alter-ego, Black Lightning and, well, don’t call it a comeback.

So begins the story of “Black Lightning,” a new TV series with a predominately African-American cast. The show debuted earlier this month to strong ratings and that’s largely thanks to the vision of Salim Akil, its showrunner, co-creator and a longtime writer and director.

In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Akil says:

“This is an American story, this is not a black story… We’re going to be culturally specific, but universal in our themes so everyone can see themselves in these stories.”

Akil talks to us about creating a character with crossover appeal in a fantastic world where racial inequality is all too real.
Interview:
https://the1a.org/shows/2018-01-24/black-lightning-brings-the-thunder