Dear Gossips,

Like so many of you, I watched Black Panther again this weekend – a few times. And it’s not like I haven’t seen it multiple times already. Now though, of course, the film pulses with even more resonance, revealing even more layers to what was already a masterpiece.

Last night ABC – which is Disney and Marvel is Disney – aired Black Panther uninterrupted in prime time followed by a 40-minute special dedicated to Chadwick Boseman called “Tribute for a King”. A few hours before that, Ryan Coogler released a 1,250 word written statement on Chadwick’s legacy:

It’s perfect because it gives added insight to what it was like for Ryan to work with Chadwick as, together, they created this historical film. Because that, as we now know, was obviously what Chadwick had prioritised during his life: he put everything into the work, while fighting his battles privately, he made sure that the work was the focus, that the work would be the change, be the difference, and ultimately what he left behind.

We now know that T’Challa’s coronation was so vibrant and exuberant, so physically expressive, because it was Chadwick who suggested it. We now know that Killmonger’s final line, one of the most impactful lines of dialogue in a movie that will shape culture beyond our lifetimes, was influenced by Chadwick’s suggestion, as he challenged Ryan to consider another option for Killmonger’s final resting place – because he was invested in the story as a whole, and not just his character. Chadwick Boseman knew that while T’Challa was a symbol, a fictional representation of authentic Black possibility, potential, history, present, and future, his purpose couldn’t exist without Killmonger’s pain, a character manifestation for Black pain and Black loss. Only then, as Chadwick Boseman clearly knew, would the story be complete. And that’s the story that will live on – in playgrounds and at protests, on film sets and in classrooms and boardrooms too. As Ta-Nehisi Coates said last night on ABC’s “Tribute for a King”:

“Chad was articulating, as only he could, the humanity of Black folks. And that’s what this is all about. You can’t shoot a man in the back unless you believe they’re subhuman or not human at all. What Chad was in the work doing was communicating Black humanity through Black heroism - but primarily Black humanity. And he was fearless in his ability to do it in his chosen field. And he’s gone.”

Which is why the work is even more urgent. And not just his work and the work of Black artists and activists but for the rest of us, our work too. It’s our work to participate in the humanity that Chadwick Boseman was sharing in his work – to make sure that everyone is included.

More on Chadwick Boseman coming later today.

Yours in gossip,

Lainey

Chadwick Boseman Gossip

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