Y'all know I had to write to get my grief out. Here I go...
You know...I hate that my blog has so many posts written to honor people that are no longer here – Mac Miller, Nipsey Hussle, Kobe Bryant, and now Chadwick Boseman. I hate it so much because death is final and it always seems so unfair to me. This time is no different. From his family and friends to his colleagues to his fans – Chadwick's loss will be felt deeply and he will be mourned for a very long time. Luckily, he's immortalized in not only Black culture but pop culture as well.
The first film I saw Chadwick act in was The Express where he played football player Floyd Little. The Express is a movie based on the life of college football hero Ernie Davis, the first Black man to win the Heisman Trophy and although he didn't play the titular character and had little screen time, he still caught my attention. That was in 2008. Fast forward to 2013, I remember being so excited to see him portray Jackie Robinson. I remember begging my boyfriend at the time to go see it because I love history and it was a sports movie about a Black man who broke barriers in major league sports. As you can imagine, he didn't disappoint portraying Jackie Robinson with a subtle dignity and grace that only he could. This would later be a purposeful trademark of his career because he went on to play our heroes - Jackie Robinson, Thurgood Marshall, and James Brown with such vigor, versatility, tenacity, and emotion. It was what he did best.
Then, Marvel announced he would be taking on the mantle of T'Challa/Black Panther in the MCU and I remember being so overcome with joy because what a perfect casting! If you know me then you know I'm a nerd and I don't play about my superhero/comic lore. You think about perfect castings in the MCU and of course, you have your Robert Downey Jr/Ironman casting, your Chris Evans/Captain America casting or even your Tom Hiddleston/Loki casting, however casting Chadwick Boseman to portray a prince and later king of a secret thriving African Nation who also moonlights as one of the most powerful superheroes in the MCU was genius. Check the resume. In order to portray T'Challa, Marvel needed to have someone that was selfless, carried themselves with poise, was intelligent, was a natural leader, someone people could get behind. I honestly don't know who else could have played T'Challa's arc better than Chadwick damn Boseman.
Fast forward again, I remember the sheer joy and excitement around Black Panther when it premiered. It felt so good to see black people being portrayed as something other than slaves, drug dealers, criminals, or really just props on a big stage. I mean this was a fucking Marvel movie, arguably one of the biggest stages on the planet. To have Chadwick lead an all-star Black ass cast the way he did and resonate with billions of people across the globe was beautiful. I'll never forget it. That was a culture shift. I always get emotional over the Jimmy Fallon appearance he did where he surprised fans who exclaimed what the Black Panther movie meant to them and their children:
I know he knew what the movie would mean to the people who needed it the most, US. I know he later learned what this movie and his portrayal of the character would mean to the rest of the world. Just listen to him speak about the film's cultural impact.
I always find it strange how some people on the internet question why people grieve over celebrities they don't know. Is it not obvious? Of course, we don't know these people personally but we grieve over what they mean to us and how they have impacted our lives. We grieve over them because when times are hard, we find comfort in their art and their gifts. We grieve because it is a hard pill to swallow that we won't be able to look forward to more works from them. We grieve over them...because we are human and are built to love and empathize with each other. I cannot lie...it hurt my feelings seeing some images of Chadwick over the last year because deep down you have your guesses as to what's going on but you never let your mind go to that dark place. I kept saying "I hope it is for a role" and oh I wished it was. For me, I think my sadness stems from the loss of what he could have given us in future projects as an actor and producer but more importantly...I know my heart hurts because:
He was the very best version of ourselves onscreen and off. The roles he took from famous Black icons to leading the first American superhero film to gross a billion dollars and win Academy Awards to a successful detective, a greek god, a vigilante, an ancestor, and so forth.
He did everything with pride and intention which is hard to do as a Black actor in Hollywood because...well you know. It says even more to his character and reputation as an artist and a man. I can't remember so many people collectively mourning an actor like this in my lifetime. If that doesn't tell you the type of man we lost...I don't know what will. The legacy he crafted is important so, yeah it hurts deep. These tears keep coming in waves. I know the public is just learning of his illness but to his wife, family, and close friends I am well aware that your pain is way beyond ours. Take your time with it, we will. I'll end this with a thank you to him for showing us what it means to be young, gifted and Black the entire time he was with us and his Howard University 2018 Commencement Speech because while he dropped many gems while he was here, this might be the most important one:
And this one because he had a great laugh. I'm a sucker for a nice smile and even better laugh!