On Black Panther, Life, and Death
Full disclosure: I know nothing about comic books so when Black Panther came out in 2018, I understood what a win it was for the culture, but beyond that, the impending excitement went right over my head. The day it premiered in China a local Black-owned production company threw a big party on the top floor of the W Hotel. It was a fun and inspiring to see so many beautiful, Black people enjoying themselves and celebrating ourselves and our culture in such an unlikely place.
When I took my theater seat, I had no prior knowledge of the franchise, so I was a bit worried about not being able to keep up or understand what was going on. Thankfully carl, the dude sitting to the right of me was more than happy to answer my side questions, pointing out and explaining important scenes and pieces of information to me. “There’s Stan Lee. He has a small part in every Marvel film. This was his last cameo,” he whispered to me. “Who’s Stanley?” I whispered back. “No, not Stanley, Stan Lee. He wrote the whole Marvel series.”
By the time we got to the obligatory post-credit scenes, I too was excited about what was to come. I was heartbroken along with the collective community over the news of Chadwick Boseman’s passing. Not just because it was so sudden (to us,) but the death just hits different learning he was struggling with advanced cancer for the past four years. The past few weeks have been crazy for me emotionally, but death, even of someone I’ve never meet, has a way of putting things into perspective. Perhaps it’s lucky, but I haven’t lost too many close family members in my lifetime. Most of my grandparents and elders passed in my youth, and I can’t pinpoint anyone in my immediate family besides them that’s passed away. When certain public figures pass, it’s a big reminder to me to cherish everyday and that the universe doesn’t care what plans you have.
After the initial shock wore off, I was filled with admiration and inspiration for this man’s strength in not only working through such a stressful and trying medical situation, but also making the decision to continue to work, live life, and ultimately die on his own terms. Here’s to you Mister Boseman.
