Member-only story
‘The Fast and the Furious’ Makes Room for Black Women Tech Geniuses
Nathalie Emmanuel’s role as Ramsey shows intelligence is the not-so-secret ingredient in Black girl magic
The Fast and the Furious is 20 years old. That means an entire generation has grown up on this franchise revolving around cars, family, loyalty, and improbable yet thrilling stunts. And that’s not a bad thing. It means that today’s generation has come of age with a summer blockbuster staple now revolving around multiracialism and globalism. As The Fast and Furious has continued, its vision of the world has undeniably broadened. It’s no longer the original in which the West Coast, L.A. specifically, is the center of its universe. These days, it’s even expanding beyond Earth itself.
It’s a vision the world has embraced, with the franchise topping the box office in many markets, including China, South Korea, Russia, Colombia, Thailand, Mexico, Egypt, Brazil, the U.K., and France. In recognition of this phenomenon, the franchise has doubled down on its global outreach, by not just filming in different countries, but actually incorporating the fashion, music, and other sensibilities of those locales into the franchise’s DNA. And dare I say that hip-hop has been a driving force behind the franchise, embedding it with a boldness that has…
