Chadwick Boseman, an actor and South Carolina native, passed away on Aug. 28.
The 43-year-old had been battling colon cancer since 2016 and was surrounded by his family and wife when he passed, according to an Instagram post his family made.
“A true fighter, Chadwick persevered through it all, and brought you many of the films you have come to love so much,” the post said. “From Marshall to Da 5 Bloods, August Wilson’s Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom and several more, all were filmed during and between countless surgeries and chemotherapy. It was the honor of his career to bring King T’Challa to life in Black Panther.”
“I was so shocked. I think this year has been very hard as it is,” Jason Pressley, a senior mass communication major, said. “I don’t think anybody was really expecting to hear this. He just has such a strong and dominant figure in all his roles. To hear him pass away to something that made him so vulnerable and weak was shocking for everybody.”
In response to Boseman’s death, South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster ordered that the Statehouse flags were to be lowered to “honor the life, contributions and memory of a truly extraordinary son of South Carolina,” according to CBS News.
Boseman graduated from Howard University and made several appearances on television shows in the early 2000s. Boseman’s breakthrough role was when he starred as Jackie Robinson in the movie “42” in 2013. From then on he has starred in several films including “Get Up” and “Black Panther,” according to IMDb.
“He had an impact in the roles he chose. His agent would offer him roles in slave movies… and he would always turn them down because those weren’t movies that showed Black people in a state of being strong,” Pressley said. “I think he was… one of the spearheads of getting Hollywood away from telling those kinds of Black stories.”
In response to his death, an Anderson, South Carolina resident created the petition “Replace the Confederate Monument in Downtown Anderson with a statue of Chadwick Boseman.”
“With Chadwick Boseman’s early passing, it is important that we honor a true local legend [b]y immortalizing him in stone in front of the courthouse. The Confederate Monument belongs in a museum, but has no right to be displayed there,” the petition creator wrote. “I believe the community should come together to honor someone from Anderson, South Carolina that was able to change the movie industry. He opened many doors for many young black people with his leading roles in movies such as Black Panther or Marshall.”
A private memorial service was held for Boseman in California where friends and family honored the late actor on Sept. 5.
“I hope that his death and more so his life has inspired people to really chase their purpose and make the most of their time here,” Pressley said.
Photo by Tate Walden
