Honoring Chadwick Boseman
I was sitting at home watching Captain America Civil War on Saturday when I got a text from my friend Brian that had three simple letters: W T F! I raised an eyebrow because the last time I got a text from Brian like that was on January 26th (if you know, you know) so my heart rate automatically sped up. I automatically went to Instagram and the very first post was a black and white picture of Chadwick Boseman that was posted by his account and I thought nothing of it. Then I saw it again. And again. And again. Being a Millennial I knew what that meant but I quickly dismissed the thought because no. With shaking hands, I typed his name in the search bar and went back to his direct words and read the statement. My eyes got fuzzy as my notifications started to go off. All of them. Twitter. Instagram. Text. Phone. I threw my phone down and ran to tell my parents. My mom and I share the obsession of Marvel and she was just as hurt as I was. I tried to call Brian, but I couldn’t get through. Understandable. I called and told my sister and then I just sat and stared at nothing. I tried to finish watching Civil War but it just hit different. My best friend from New Orleans called to discuss this news. Before she moved, we went to the movies often and one of those movies was 42.
I was first introduced to the talent of Chadwick Boseman while watching a show called Lincoln Heights. He was a reoccurring character that turned out to be the main characters long lost son. I loved that show so when the promos for 42 started to come out I was excited to see him in a feature film. Now, I am a basketball girl all day everyday, and I know little to nothing about baseball but I knew who Jackie Robinson was. I had done a book report or two in school, but I did not fully understand what his presence meant growing up. After seeing 42 I was blown away, so I randomly reached out on Facebook messenger to his verified page and told him I loved the movie and was so excited for his future. He actually responded thanking me. I did the same after I saw him in Get On Up where he portrayed James Brown, and again, he responded.
When it was announced at Comic Con that Chadwick Boseman would be portraying Black Panther in Captain America Civil War I almost blew up. The MCU is an elite franchise rivaled only by Star Wars. I was already excited about seeing Civil War anyway, but this just took the cake! A stand alone Black Panther movie was also announced and slated for a February Release. Black History Month. The world was ready. All expectations were exceeded with the role, but what Black Panther did for the culture was groundbreaking.
Chadwick played iconic roles necessary for our culture. He was able to tell stories through his craft that no one else could have told. He was made for these roles. So, to hear that he had been battling cancer the entire time he was in the MCU was shocking. He showed no signs of slowing down even after Avengers: Endgame, releasing 21 Bridges and Da 5 Bloods within the same year. 2020 is the year that just won’t quit, and this was just another devastating blow. Hopefully, Disneyland can add something on Avengers Campus to honor him somewhere near the rumored Quin Jet attraction will be. His death was a total shock to all, and this is one I won’t recover from anytime soon. The world lost an amazing actor, but our culture lost a King.
WAKANDA FOREVER