I am stunned by the news of the passing of Chadwick Boseman, who was not just a movie star for me, but an iconic cultural revolution. I don't really know much about Boseman as a person, but his portrayal of T'Challa, the Chief of Wakanda, Black Panther was enough to cement his place in history.
This is not just a movie. It is the first time Hollywood--as a true reflection of American society-- overcame its stupid racism long enough to make an Afrocentric superhero movie. I believe it has unleashed a vision, a dream deferred that may awaken the imagination of millions of people
For decades Hollywood turned up its nose at rowdy Stan Lee and Marvel comics, ever since the first superhero movie (Robin Hood, in 1939). Nobody in Hollywood thought paying customers would want to watch the likes of Spider-man or Captain-America, and if they were worried about those fellows they were absolutely petrified of Africans with their own superhero. The cultural ramifications were enormous.
You know what? They were right. They showed for the first time a VISION of a leader striving for social justice in an unjust world. They also showed African controlling advanced technologies at the cutting edge of global advancement.
If you look at past superhero movies set in Africa (such as Tarzan or the Phantom), the African people are poor and technologically backward. They really need a white fellow to tell them what to do and to save them from bad guys.
The Black Panther, on the other hand, is visually stunning and beautiful. If there were no superheros and no action in it all, it would be a great movie because of the lush scenery and the beautiful African costumes, that combine traditionalism and the modern world. The people never chose to give up their culture to act like westerners. They kept their culture while advancing in high tech, thanks to their accomplishments, which started with a near magic metal, but spread to metals and other high tech beyond the capabilities of even Stark Industries.
This is the vision I believe America needs. Yes, you can be an African kid and you can be on a spaceship that colonizes Mars. You can invent medicine that cures cancer. You can build a building taller than anyone else has ever built before. You can do all of these things, and you don't have to give up your identity, your roots or your culture. This is the vision for America.
Hollywood, despite its wretchedness and racism was amazed to find that people actually watched a movie about Africans. The Marvel Crew, with direction and production that relied heavily upon a culturally diverse crew (i.e, with the white guys doing their best to stay out of the way this time) knocked it out of the park yet again.
My prediction is it is going to change the way children think about themselves. Superheroes help us to dare to do the impossible. Up until Black Panther, American expectations for persons of African descent were much more limited. Truly, fairy tales and superheros have a role in the human psyche. The ability to dream powerful dreams is very important. The suppression of these dreams, even in a movie, may seem like a minor thing, but to me it was very wrong and it persisted for decades.
Chadwick Boseman and his colleagues smashed the stereotypes into pieces. It was a masterpiece, and freeing on so many levels.
A similar story could be written about Gal Gadot and Wonder Woman. For decades, Hollywood would not let a female superheroine have her own story, and would not let real-world women direct or produce it. I can't wait to see the next Wonder Woman.
But the next Black Panther movie will have something missing in it. I cannot believe that Chadwick is gone. God bless you and your family, friends and fans. Your contribution will never be forgotten and it is only now starting to be appreciated.
