Chadwick Boseman

Born on November 29, 1976 and raised in Anderson, South Carolina, Chadwick Boseman grew up in a Christian home. His mother worked as a nurse, his father worked in a cotton factory, and he had a large extended family. In an interview, he says that while he had a great childhood full of happiness, racism was lingering in the background. He recalls incidents in which he would go about his day (i.e. getting ice cream) and a fellow kid would call him the n-word, or trucks trying to run him off of the road.

Boseman studied at Howard University and earned a B.F.A. in directing. After graduation, Boseman moved to New York and became involved with acting through teaching, writing, and directing. 

Boseman starred in a series of films, including playing Jackie Robinson in 42, Thurgood Marshall in Marshall, and T’Challa in Black Panther. Boseman had a strong personal connection to Black Panther, as he dreamed of playing T’Challa from the time that he worked in a comic book store in college. These roles emphasized Black strength and power, inspiring many who viewed these films. 

Black Panther in particular made an incredible impact on the way that the Western World views Africa, emphasizing its natural beauty and exhibiting ideas of Afrofuturism. The years following the film’s release had an increase in tourism to Africa and stronger desires for comic books about sub-Saharan Africa. Overall, the film portrayed Wakanda, the fictional African country, and its people as rich, full of life, and multifaceted. It brought representation to Hollywood in a thoughtful way. 

Chadwick Boseman passed away in 2020 due to colon cancer. His legacy lives on through the powerful roles that he played.

Sources:

https://www.irreview.org/articles/the-black-panther-movies-have-effectively-changed-the-worldview-on-africa#:~:text=The%20Black%20Panther%20movies%2C%20with,about%20Africa%20in%20the%20Western 

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/08/28/movies/chadwick-boseman-dead.html