My Friday night routine of watching movies with my husband was interrupted by a message from my sister stating, “THIS ISN’T REAL, right?” linking to Chadwick Boseman’s official Instagram account.
I clicked it and rapidly read the words as my heart sank and my mind tried to make sense of what I was reading.
What?
No.
NO!
Is this true?
It’s not true. His account was hacked!
Oh my goodness, what.
No.
Ugh.
What is happening with 2020?
A quick Google search confirmed how true it was: “Chadwick Boseman, the actor known for portraying Black Panther has died.” From stage four colon cancer.
It should be stated that I am a deeply empathetic person. That said, I’m not usually one who’s affected by a celebrity’s life and death, simply because they feel far removed from me. However, for some reason, learning this news has impacted me very much.
You see, seeing Boseman depict the Black Panther on the big screen in 2018 brought pride and joy to the deepest parts of my soul. I love that movie! As an African, I loved seeing Wakanda, full of brown and black-skinned people, thriving and living, utilizing their land’s natural resources to its full potential. Wakanda is what African nations could have been had they not been stripped and robbed by colonizers of their natural resources and beauty. And there was T’Challa, a Black man who was a superhero — not a criminal, not a gangster — but a wise, compassionate king. And the king of the most advanced nation in the Marvel world, an African nation! I love the humor in the movie, the character developments, the animation, the stunts, the strong female leads, the relationships.
Many may not understand watching films and not seeing people who look like you, or not seeing people like you who inspire you and amaze you. I especially loved Black Panther because much like Moana did for me in offering a representation of people who looked like me, Boseman in Black Panther showed and affirmed to a generation of Black boys and girls (and us adults, too) the greatness of being Black. He helped bring the first Black superhero to life and for generations to come, Black boys and girls will have him to look up to.
I left the theatre after watching Black Panther even more proud to be African because of how Boseman portrayed the Black Panther. I started watching the rest of the Marvel movies because Black Panther piqued my interest. I was looking forward to the sequel that was rumored to be in negotiations.
And now…he’s gone. And because of colon cancer?! Ugh.
My mother in law battled stage four colon cancer for many, many years before passing away in 2018. My maternal grandfather passed away the previous year from colon cancer. Hearing the words colon cancer cuts at my heart in a most painful way.
So. As I still reel from the shock of this news, and as an empath, relive and feel deeply the pain of losing someone you love to cancer after watching them suffer and fight for so long, I’ve decided I’m going to rewatch the Black Panther movie and try to glean some joy from it.
I leave you with a most profound and pertinent quote from King T’Challa, the Black Panther: “In times of crisis, the wise build bridges while the foolish build barriers.”
