[Limelight] The 'Black Giant' Who Walked the Path of Nonviolence and Dialogue

"Wakanda Forever" Actor Chadwick Boseman

Endured Cancer Treatment in Secret While Acting in Seven Films, Offering Solidarity and Engagement Through Portrayals of Real-Life Figures

Emphasized the Spirit of Peace Through 'Black Panther'... Highlighted Pride in African Culture and Values

On the 28th of last month (local time), actor Chadwick Boseman, who died of colon cancer, was a superhero. Not because he saved the world wearing the Vibranium suit in the film Black Panther (2018). He appeared in seven films while secretly undergoing chemotherapy. These include Marshall (2017), Black Panther, Avengers: Infinity War (2018), Avengers: Endgame (2019), 21 Bridges: Terror Shutdown (2019), Da 5 Bloods (2020), and Ma Rainey's Black Bottom (2020). The roles he quietly portrayed all left giant footprints. They offered hope to the Black community, inspiring a sense of solidarity and participation.

Boseman often portrayed real-life figures. A representative example is Jackie Robinson (1919?1972) in 42 (2013). He was a Black player who reached the Hall of Fame in the Major Leagues, which were filled with white players. The title 42 refers to his jersey number, which was retired by all teams in 1997. On "Jackie Robinson Day" (April 15), players wear number 42 without exception. This year, due to the spread of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), the event was postponed to August 28, the day when a march against racial discrimination took place in Washington in 1963. Reverend Martin Luther King (1929?1968) delivered a speech before 250,000 people.

“I have a dream that one day this nation will accept as an undeniable truth that all men are created equal, and live by that true meaning as a creed. (...) Our creative protest must not be transformed into violence.”

Boseman vividly conveys the difficulty of nonviolent resistance. Particularly memorable is the scene where Jackie Robinson, under the management of Ben Chapman (played by Alan Tudyk) in Philadelphia, responds to taunts by hitting a pop fly. Despite being verbally abused with “This is a white man's game, you ignorant monkey,” he does not retaliate. The boiling anger explodes in the empty dugout hallway. He pounds the wall with his bat and screams at the top of his lungs. Branch Rickey (Harrison Ford), the team manager who witnesses this outburst, tells him, “You have to endure it.”

“You want me to endure this too?” “They want you to keep living like that.” “I want to live too. Do you think I’m some kind of saint?” “You’ve already stepped into the Major Leagues. You don’t have the right to turn your back on the people who support you. They believe in you, respect you, and need you.”

Rickey also teaches Robinson the value of nonviolent resistance. He tells Robinson about a white boy he saw in a morning field who imitated him. “He was swinging a bat.” “Was he waiting for a fastball?” “He was copying you. He rubbed dirt on his hands and stretched out his arms, imitating you. The white boy was pretending to be Black.”

Boseman also portrayed Thurgood Marshall (1908?1993), who practiced lofty ideals in the courtroom. In the film Marshall, he clears the name of Joseph Spell (Sterling K. Brown), a Black chauffeur accused of raping a white woman. Even in dramatic situations where he cannot personally defend the case, he calmly advocates the need for a just society. When Marshall leaves the courtroom, a reporter asks him, “Do you agree with the NAACP’s statement that Black people do not receive fair trials?” He slowly descends the stairs and replies,

“Hasn’t it already been proven? The defendant’s chosen lawyer was rejected?how can that be a fair trial? Jurors of the same race were excluded. Fear and prejudice about race are at the heart of this case. (...) The Constitution was not written for us. But we will make it apply to us. From now on, we claim the Constitution as ours.”

Marshall was appointed the first Black federal Supreme Court justice in 1967. Reverend King sent a telegram praising him: “You have proven yourself a giant in your field, and your career marks one of the most important milestones of our time.”

The character T’Challa, whom Boseman played in Black Panther, is a successor to that noble spirit. He fights against his cousin Erik Killmonger (Michael B. Jordan), who threatens a bloodbath for Black liberation and revenge. T’Challa believes that peaceful dialogue and nonviolence are the only solutions to save the world. Their heated conflict recalls the 1963 TV debate “The Promise of Black America,” where Black civil rights activist Dr. Kenneth Clark (1914?2005) appeared alongside Malcolm X (1925?1965) and Reverend King.

“There are 2 billion people in the world who look like us struggling to live, but Wakanda has the tools to liberate them.” “What tools?” “Vibranium, your weapon.” “Our weapon is not for war. It is not our way to judge and punish those who are not our kin. I am not a king of humanity but of Wakanda. My duty is to protect my people and keep Vibranium safe from people like you.”

In an interview before his death, Boseman said, “I deeply considered what kind of responsibility is required of a leader who reveals his existence to the whole world, including Wakanda.” “Thinking about the cultural influence this film and I might have gave me a tremendous sense of responsibility. I was happy to discover history and tradition as a Black man.”

Boseman’s identity recovery was that of a Black person separated from whites. He emphasized that pride should be taken in the rich culture and values of Africa, not America. His appearance in the posthumous film Ma Rainey's Black Bottom was in the same context. The original author August Wilson (1945?2005) shows how blues was commercialized by whites through the Black blues singer Ma Rainey (1886?1939). He discusses the importance of inheriting Black history and culture based on the historical facts and experiences faced by African Americans.

The character Levee, played by Boseman, easily transforms blues into a jazz style suitable for dancing. He thinks of blues as outdated music, like whites do. In fact, blues was easily forgotten because generations like his rejected it. Especially the Black middle class, who tried to assimilate into white culture, avoided it. They watched power relations and shifted accordingly, only to face an era of loss.

Wilson clearly states in various works such as Ma Rainey's Black Bottom and Fences that the roots of African Americans lie in Africa. He emphasizes that African culture and traditions exist for everyone, even if they do not acknowledge it themselves. Boseman was the one who rekindled that precious value. The giant’s footprints will be remembered for a long time through a brief shout: “Wakanda Forever!”