The Morning Watch: In the Words of Chadwick Boseman (1976-2020)

Chadwick Boseman Howard Unversity Speech

The Morning Watch is a recurring feature that highlights a handful of noteworthy videos from around the web. They could be video essays, fanmade productions, featurettes, short films, hilarious sketches, or just anything that has to do with our favorite movies and TV shows.

In this edition, we look back at the legacy of the late actor Chadwick Boseman, star of Marvel’s mega, groundbreaking blockbuster Black Panther. In addition to leading the first superhero movie nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture, Boseman played real life historical figures such as Jackie Robinson in 42, James Brown in Get On Up, and Thurgood Marshall in Marshall. Aside from his remarkable performances, Boseman also left behind a legacy of some wise and beautiful words that we wanted to pay tribute to below.

First up, listen to Chadwick Boseman’s acceptance speech when the cast of Black Panther won the equivalent of the Screen Actors Guild’s award for Best Picture. In the speech (via TNT), Boseman explains what it means to be young, gifted, and Black in Hollywood, and focuses on whether or not the attention given to Black Panther means that the industry is changing for the better when it comes to representation and diversity for Black actors, actresses and filmmakers.

Next up, listen to Chadwick Boseman’s powerful speech he gave to the graduates of Howard University in 2018. In this speech, Boseman told those students moving on to the next chapter of their lives:

“Graduating class, hear me well on this day. This day, when you have reached the hilltop and you are deciding on next jobs, next steps, careers, further education, you would rather find purpose than a job or career. Purpose crosses disciplines. Purpose is an essential element of you. It is the reason you are on the planet at this particular time in history. Your very existence is wrapped up in the things you are here to fulfill. Whatever you choose for a career path, remember, the struggles along the way are only meant to shape you for your purpose. When I dared to challenge the system that would relegate us to victims and stereotypes with no clear historical backgrounds, no hopes or talents, when I questioned that method of portrayal, a different path opened up for me, the path to my destiny.”

Watch the entire speech to hear the challenges Chadwick Boseman endured as a young Black actor.

Finally, during the publicity tour for Black Panther, a Sirius XM interview with the cast of the film found Chadwick Boseman reflecting on the importance of the character he stepped up to play. Specifically, Boseman was moved by a pair of young cancer patients who were doing everything they could to hold on to life so they could see Black Panther. Listen to the moving story that brings the actor to tears, and remember that during this time, Chadwick Boseman was already fighting cancer himself.

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