‘Blank Panther’ Star Dies at 43

Chadwick+Boseman++at+the+Oscars+doing+the+infamous+Wakanda+forever+pose+from+Black+Panther

Chadwick Boseman at the Oscars’ doing the infamous ‘Wakanda forever’ pose from Black Panther

Seth Schwartzberg

On August 28th, 2020, the movie industry lost Popular figure in the case of Chadwick Boseman, known for his role as some of the most famous names in African American history, like African American baseball player Jackie Robinson in “42”, or his role as Famous musician James Brown in “Get on Up”, or portraying the first African American Supreme court Justice Thurgood Marshall in “Thurgood”.

In 2018, he was selected to be the first black superhero, Black Panther in the Marvel Box office explosion of the same name. This role made Boseman a household name all around the world, and became an inspiration for people everywhere.

Boseman’s outsized role in American culture is due in part to the seminal Black historical figures that have bridged the gap between Black and white people. Around the world with his role as the Black Panther. Emery/Weiner English Teacher and Marvel fanatic Casey Fleming spoke to his effect saying, “Chadwick Boseman helped bring the idea of black dignity and beauty and heroism to life inside people where it will outlive him.” 

While starting all these movies, Boseman was in the middle of a four-year battle of colon cancer. Instead of quitting, Boseman continued to touch the lives of many as he visited cancer patients in children’s hospitals, living his life to the fullest. No one knew about this and that is why his death came as a shock when the news broke of his difficult 4 year battle with colon cancer. 

Fleming went on to say, “He helped raise the bar for how Hollywood should and can represent black lives and black excellence” and Junior Emma Barber also quotes that “It’s a huge loss for the world and the movie industry because we need more people like Chadwick who, despite their fame and fortune, decide to do their best to better the world by doing as much as he can to help others instead of doing for himself”

As such a staple for the African American community in Hollywood and a figure of equality, Chadwick’s death is something that will linger on for a long time around the movie industry.