Where Are They From? Find Out the Birthplace of ‘Black Panther’s’ Lead Cast

By Shamone Nelson | Published on February 22, 2018

Danai Gurira who played Okoye is from Grinnell, Iowa but born to parents from Zimbabwe. She and her family later moved back to Zimbabwe when she was 5 years old after the country gained independence. Guria isn’t new to playing fierce Black female roles, she’s known for her role in “Walking Dead” as Michonne.

Winston Duke who played M’Baku was born in Tobago, one half of the dual-island Trinidad and Tobago. He moved to the U.S at nine years old. Duke went to Yale University where he met and befriended Lupita Nyong’o.

Letitia Wright who played Shuri was born in Georgetown, Guyana. She and her family moved to London when she was 7 years old.

Subscribe To The ABS Newsletter — Get our stories in your inbox.

Independent journalism still matters.

We hope this story was worth your time. For over 14 years, Atlanta Black Star has stayed Black-owned and independently run. We didn't get here by waiting on ad budgets that were never built to prioritize us. Our readers did that.

Corporate support for Black media has always been thin. Outlets like ours get roughly 1% of the $170 billion spent on U.S. advertising each year, and that margin is shrinking further as advertisers walk back the DEI-linked commitments they made in 2020. That's the backdrop. It's not why we're asking.

The wider picture isn't any steadier. Newspaper ad revenue has fallen more than 80% since 2005, and local newsrooms are closing at a rate of roughly two a week nationwide. When outlets go under, it's rarely the ones built to center a Black perspective from the ground up that get to stick around.

We know a request for support isn't why you came here. But without readers choosing to fund this work directly, the depth of reporting we can do at home and abroad shrinks along with everyone else's. If you're not in a position to give, that doesn't change how much we value you as a reader.

If you are able to, a recurring contribution does more for us than a single one-time gift, because it lets us plan the next investigation instead of just the next invoice. It takes about 30 seconds, no long form, no account. Thank you for continuing to support independent journalism and freedom of the press.

Give once Give monthly Support another way