He inspired generations to dare to dream, showing them that the sky isn't the limit – even for superheroes.
This is the story of Chadwick Boseman.
This is the story of Chadwick Boseman.
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Short filmTranscript
00:00When I dared to challenge the system that would relegate us to victims and stereotypes with no clear
00:07historical backgrounds, no hopes or talents, when I questioned that method of portrayal, a different path
00:14opened up for me.
00:16The path to my destiny.
00:30When he created Black Panther, he created it in a time, it's 1966, you have to think about what was going on in that time.
00:47And the ideologies that were spoken of, that were displayed in Black Panther,
00:55you have to think about it's beyond civil rights, it's black empowerment.
01:00America is always born out of being revolutionary. That's what it's born out of.
01:23It's not born out of doing what people told you you were supposed to do.
01:30I stand here today knowing that my Howard University education prepared me to play Jackie Robinson,
01:47James Brown,
01:49Thurgood Marshall, and T'Challa.
01:52Sometimes you need to get knocked down before you can really figure out what your fight is,
01:59and how you need to fight it.
02:02At some point my mind reverted back to my experiences here,
02:06to the professors that challenged me and struggled against me.
02:59It was a fun thing to do, to listen to James Brown's music, learn songs, learn the dances,
03:09you know, reading the biographies and talking to, like it's, you know, it's the type of thing that you
03:16love to do as an actor.
03:28All Kaepernick was ever saying was that America should live up to what it's creed is.
03:47That's it. So until it does that, until black men are not brutalized in the street and treated unfairly,
03:55I'm going to acknowledge that it's not doing that.
04:11I think the success of Black Panther, it just proves something that many of us already knew.
04:18It's that our films, you know, they're remarkable, that they're
04:24digestible, that people want to see us on screen,
04:29that, you know, our stories are compelling around the world.
04:44It's not just a movie. It's become its own thing. It's a movement.
04:48People are excited about the cultural aspect of it. People are excited about seeing something new.
04:53They're excited because they don't know what this is going to be.
05:23Purpose is an essential element of you. It is the reason you are on the planet at this particular time in history.
05:33Your very existence is wrapped up in the things you are here to fulfill.
05:37Whatever you choose for a career path, remember the struggles along the way are only meant to shape you for your purpose.