Ode to a King

 

     When I heard last night that Chadwick Boseman had died of cancer at the age of 43, I was shocked and in disbelief. I didn't think it was possible, this was another one of those grand internet hoaxes. Then I saw the official tweet from his account, and the sadness set in. 

     I became a fan of his when the movie "42" came out, and he portrayed Jackie Robinson as he broke down the color barrier in baseball. 

     I had seen him in other things, but this role showed his range and power as an actor. The emotion and turmoil he was able to achieve in the historic role was outstanding. Then He played another icon in "Get on Up". The incomparable Godfather of soul himself, James Brown. He brought James back to life with his dancing and command of the role. If you haven't seen either of these movies, I recommend that you do.

     Although I haven't seen it, but I do intend to, He played another icon in Marshall. Portraying the life of Thurgood Marshall. I will be watching a lot of Mr. Boseman's films this week in remembrance of him. The one I will be watching tonight at 8pm (which has been the call to do) is Black Panther. 

     This is my all time favorite Marvel movie. The beauty and culture that it encapsulates is incredible, and his performance of an icon that he has now created as King T'Challa is out of the world delightful. It was such a pleasure for me to look up on a screen and see true diversity in cinema. I saw a rumor recently that he was going to step down from the franchise and pass the mantle on to his sister in the movie, and I was stunned. Not that she would take over as Black Panther, but that I wouldn't see more movies with him in that role. If this rumor was true, I can see now why it was happening.

     He was diagnosed with colon cancer 4 years ago, and no one outside of his bubble knew of his struggle. He entertained and enlightened us while battling this ravaging disease, that has taken so many from us. He would often visit cancer kids in hospitals and lift their days, just by being the wonderful person that he was. 

     Over the night and into this morning, I have seen many personal stories about them, and all of them speak of how humble and kind he was. We should all strive to be more like him. He had a passion for giving people a better day, by stopping and listening to them about he changed their lives be being a superhero on the screen that looked like them. He would always tell them that it was an honor to represent them, and no that they should look up to him because of his accomplishments. His last tweet was one praising the choice of Kamala Harris for the democratic nominee for Vice President. She like him was a Howard alum, and he had great pride in that as well.

     Since the baseball season was thrown out of whack by the pandemic, Jackie Robinson day fell on August 28, the same day that Chadwick died. This was also the the birthday of the creator of Black Panther, Jack Kirby's birthday. The planets aligned in a mysterious way and took a true gift from us.

     Chadwick will be missed by millions, with me among them. I will always wonder about what could have been, and how much more he could have created. Chadwick has been called home to Djalia. Rest in power king.