Chadwick Boseman, "Black Panther" actor, dies 7:32
Editor's Note:
Kevin Powell is a poet, journalist, civil and human rights activist, and the author of 14 books, including "When We Free The World" (an eBook exclusive to Apple Books).
Lives in Brooklyn, New York.
The opinions expressed in this comment belong to the author.
See more opinions at CNN.com/opinion.
(CNN) -
We lost a humble superhero and his name was Chadwick Boseman.
Like everyone else, I am surprised by the news of his death on Friday at the age of 43.
That he has suffered from colon cancer for four years, telling almost no one except those in his inner circle, shows us what kind of human being he was.
In those last four years of his life, Chadwick appeared in 10 films, including his historic and exciting performance as the title character in "Black Panther," and underwent treatment.
It's hard to imagine the suffering he must have endured, how demanding the surgeries and chemotherapy sessions must have been on his body, and the mind games he must have faced in his quiet moments, knowing that his life could be tragically short.
It was an incredible act of altruism that Chadwick continued to work and bring joy to people, despite the cancer raging in his body.
When I heard the sad news, my thoughts went back to the 2000s, when I met Chadwick, who at the time had just graduated from the historically black institution, Howard University.
I had published a collection of autobiographical essays, and a mutual friend who is a theater director suggested that I ask this young actor to perform parts of the book on stage.
It was extraordinary and humbling to see Chadwick, a native South Carolina son born to working-class parents, incarnate me on that stage.
And yet he thanked me for the opportunity, and I never forgot him, his dedication to his craft or his humility.
Like many, I followed Chadwick's career when he landed small roles in television and film.
I was proud when the doors of Hollywood opened, and he played sports pioneer Jackie Robinson in "42," civil rights icon Thurgood Marshall in "Marshall," and music legend James Brown in "Get On Up." .
Chadwick seemed to know that acting was not just his career, but his spiritual calling.
Through acting, he represented cultural giants and brought each role to life as the common man, in the vein of James Stewart and Sidney Poitier.
He also channeled his cultural heritage into films that touched and nurtured his soul, as did Robert De Niro and Denzel Washington, who in turn nurtured many of us.
He also channeled the Black Lives Matter movement, knowing that the roles he played required the same kind of grace and dignity that he manifested in every part of his life;
that he represented not only himself, but also the hopes and aspirations of an entire community of people.
That is why there is so much pain and pain surrounding his death.
To blacks around the world, Chadwick Boseman's performance in "Black Panther" felt as if he had erased centuries of racist stereotypes from pop culture on its own.
Chadwick, as T'Challa proved to us, to Hollywood and to viewers around the world, that a black superhero can be celebrated, loved, and also earn $ 1 billion at the box office.
"Black Panther" was tremendously inspiring, and people of all ages and identities began to do the same Wakanda greeting with their arms crossed that Chadwick Boseman did in the film.
When Chadwick's fame exploded, I thought about how different my life would have been, as a poor, deeply self-hating black boy, if he had grown up with a movie superhero who was black like me.
The on-screen depictions of Chadwick offered a hopeful narrative amid the barrage of video footage showing black men being shot and killed by racist police or vigilantes.
Chadwick was the seed planted long ago by ancestors who wanted to be treated as equals.
Chadwick was a superstar with cross-generational and cross-cultural appeal for our still new and troubled century.
In 2018, Chadwick was hailed as one of British GQ's International Men of the Year, and I was fortunate to write a cover story about him for the magazine.
His own modesty was amazing in its frankness.
Despite his astonishing success, it was as if we were transported back to our first meeting more than a decade earlier, when he was just a college graduate.
Once again, he thanked me for the opportunity.
Little did I know, when I interviewed Chadwick on the phone, that this would be the last time I would speak to him.
Little did he know, as he told me about the many projects he was working on, that he knew that cancer was destroying his body.
And yet he did not hesitate to speak of his future with childish joy and wonder.
Chadwick Boseman was nothing more than a man who wanted to make a difference in the lives of others.
And that he has done, forever.
Chadwick boseman