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2020 has been an unprecedented year for the Black and brown community. A year where the socio-economic divide between communities of color and those of privilege have become glaringly apparent. The current COVID-19 pandemic compounded with the tragic deaths of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor has exposed the inequities and systematic racism that has plagued those communities for generations.

For a plethora of reasons, 2020 has been painful. We lost another hero in Chadwick Boseman. As the news broke on various news outlets, I saw an outpouring of love and support from all over the world. The repeated sentiment from all who commented was how this particular death has left us feeling hurt, broken and at a personal loss.

In my opinion, Chadwick Boseman was an advocate first and an actor second. He firmly believed that the Black experience was not only something that should be seen on the big screen, but it should be critiqued, analyzed and, in many situations, celebrated. Within his career, Chadwick took on challenging roles that dynamically showcased some of the giants in our collective history. He embodied the roles of James Brown, Jackie Robinson, Thurgood Marshall and a role that transformed him into a Marvel cinematic hero: King T’Challa, the Black Panther.

The Black Panther film was like a lightning rod for the Black community. A single cinematic masterpiece which attracted Black people from around the world to share in the collective story of the Black experience. When you heard the statement “Wakanda forever,” it resonated with you because that statement reflected a sense of pride, a sense of joy, as well as a reflection of pain and, sometimes, despair. It is a statement of unity, one that Chadwick popularized by his presence.

I discovered that Chadwick prayed to be cast as the Black Panther in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. He recognized the gravity of the role and what it means to millions of people to see a Black superhero come to life. He was right, and the role did impact millions, including me:

One of my favorite moments of Chadwick’s was his commencement address to the 2018 graduating class of his alma mater, Howard University. In that moment, Chadwick wasn’t just the high-profile actor we saw or the superhero he portrayed in Black Panther. He was the epitome of what it means to struggle as a Black man to find success in a film industry that was ready to typecast him. As he mentioned during his commencement address, “Sometimes you need to feel the pain and sting of defeat to activate the real passion and purpose that God predestined inside of you.” He reflected that his education trained him to deal with the overwhelming odds that were stacked against him, but ultimately, it starts with finding purpose.

He continued by saying, “When you are deciding on next steps, next jobs, next careers, further education, you should rather find purpose than a job or a career … Purpose crosses disciplines. Purpose is an essential element of you. It is the reason you are on the planet at this particular time in history. Your very existence is wrapped up in the things you are here to fulfil. Whatever you choose for a career path, remember the struggles are only meant to shape you for your purpose.”

I would like to believe that Chadwick’s purpose was to empower Black people to see beyond the barriers in front of them and pursue the greatness ahead of them.

One of the more striking things I was shocked to hear was that Chadwick was diagnosed with stage 3 colon cancer back in 2016, which appeared to had progressed to stage 4 by 2020. From a position of pure speculation, none of us could have imagined the type of pain he may have been in. Chadwick, however, continued to play his final roles with strength, power and with purpose. He never mentioned he was sick, and I speculate this was purposefully done to protect all of us and the characters he popularized.

In a way, this also shines a light on the fact that preventive health needs to be taken seriously in the Black community. We often put ourselves in positions where we work hard and do not take care of ourselves. Simple measures such as going to the doctor for a regular physical can go a long way. This by no way means Chadwick didn’t take care of himself, but rather it reflects that we need to prioritize the holistic health of the Black community: mind, body and spirit.

Even towards the end of his life, Chadwick remained an advocate for Black Lives and continued to focus on ways to challenge the structural racism that has plagued the United States for generations. In a tweet on August 11, 2020, he enthusiastically showed his support for Kamala Harris’ selection as the democratic vice-presidential nominee. Chadwick believed that the best is still yet to come for Black people, that Black voices will be amplified and that a new form of change is coming.

The world lost a King, but his purpose will live on. Wakanda forever.

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Kevin Tyrone James is an Assistant Dean, Director and Adjunct Professor in New York City.

Kevin Tyrone James

Writing since February 2022 · 1 story contributed