Hello Readers, co-editor Gail here,
While a somber subject, I felt it only appropriate that this week we acknowledge the legacy of actor Chadwick Boseman who sadly passed away last friday from colon cancer at age 43.
If you are unfamiliar with Boseman’s work, he was known for playing black icons such as Jackie Robinson, James Brown and Thurgood Marshall. However, he will probably be most remembered for his role as King T’Challa AKA The Black Panther from the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
As a white fan, I know I am speaking from a place of privilege and will never fully understand what Boseman and the rest of the cast’s performances in Black Panther meant for the black community, especially the children.
For black kids to lose a hero that looks like them right now, even a fictional hero, is heartbreaking.
From everything I have seen online and on television since Boseman passed, It is clear that he led his career through the understanding that representation matters.
It truly does, not just for the folks being represented, but for everyone else as well as it has the power to change how we see each other as three-dimensional people beyond stereotypes and hateful rhetoric.
Growing up I watched Static Shock play CD’s with his powers and say fun things like “Bang-Baby” but also address gun violence and losing a loved one. I watched Teen Titans where I saw Cyborg pig out and play video games but also reckon with what it means to be human, and Bumblebee be witty and cocky but also be a strong leader and infiltrate an evil organization. Even Frozone from The Incredibles remains iconic in my mind.
In more recent years I have seen other fantastic black superheroes in animation and live action work that also double as LGBTQIA+ representation in entertainment that is mostly targeted at kids.
There’s Garnet from Steven Universe who’s strength is only outweighed by her caring and is literally the embodiment of a lesbian relatioship.
She-Ra and the Princesses of Power features Bow, who is an extraordinary archer, a wonderful example of healthy masulinity and has two dads, as well as Netossa, who has super cool net powers, a deep understanding of her teammates and is married to Spinnerella.
Recently, I watched Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts where all three main protagonists are black including the titular Kipo who is also half asian while another is also canonically gay.
In more grown up shows, we have Amenadiel and Mazikeen from Lucifer (played by D.B. Woodside and Lesley-Ann Brandt) who constantly kick butt, but also question their identities and how humanity sees them.
We also have The Umbrella Academy’s Allison Hargreeves (played by Emmy Raver-Lampman) who in the most recent season of the show, is part of an inadvertently timely but well done Civil Rights Movement narrative.
All of this is to say that the heroes can and should come in every shape, size, gender, sexuality, creed and of course color, because when we see those of diverse backgrounds empowered, it empowers us to see our own potential as well as the potential of others.
And that is why it is so tragic to have lost Chadwick Boseman, because he was that inspiration for so many.
I want to leave you with Boseman’s own words, so here is the commencement speech he gave at his alma mater Howard University:
Rest in Power Chadwick.
Wakanda Forever.
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Gail Bello is a poet and playwright from Waltham, Massachusetts. She graduated in 2019 with a BFA in Creative Writing and a minor in Theatre from The University of Maine at Farmington. Find her previous publications at https://thaumaturgedramaturge.wordpress.com and follow her on Twitter @AquajadeGail