[Black Arbor]

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheBlueMarvel

Quick note on the sudden, tragic, and unsettling death of Chadwick Boseman. As another poster mentioned, I'm generally not one to confer a great deal of meaning to the passing of public personalities with whom I've no personal knowledge or interaction. However, I do appreciate the cinematic legacy this wonderful human being has left and am taking a moment to memorialize/venerate/acknowledge his passing and my sadness as a result.

The body of Boseman's work is really pretty impressive and more poignant than some might realize on first blush, especially given the brevity with which his light shined. The bulk of Boseman's impact will likely be attributed to Black Panther and the cultural 'importance' some attribute to this role. Personally, I believe this to be just a tad overblown, but only because I've been an advocate and proponent of Pan-African inter-connectivity since I learned about the concept when reading about luminaries like Du Bois and Garvey as a preteen - coupled with the reality that the character of BP, despite my love for it, represents a fictionally idealized construct neither owned, controlled, nor consistently influenced by the diaspora it's meant to target thus offering little in the way of sustained/actual empowerment. However, in spite of my opinions, I understand the importance of this flick to many and don't mean to diminish that in any way. However, that said, this man was thoughtful and deliberate in ALL of his roles choosing to portray a litany of important culture figures and participate in weighty conceptual theatrical works all throughout his career. Whether he was putting in that WORK on autobiographical efforts for individuals like Thurgood Marshal, Jackie Robinson, or James Brown. Or, if he was portraying fantastical characters like BP and Thoth; Chadwick was steadfast in delivering/introducing audiences to ideas outside the purview of mainstream cinema and for that, I will sorely miss him.

In an age in which societies worldwide have grown more intolerant to expressions and cultures different from their own, I hope people can remember how Chadwick Boseman may have touched them with is innate grace, regal nature, and ultimately humble bearing. We all have qualities that resonate within others and I hope in mourning Chadwick's passing we can remember the ties that bind are more important than the bullshit that separates...



FYI - Check your DMs, I just hit you up...

Well said! And put into much more eloquent words than any of us would probably use