Atlanta fans remember Chadwick Boseman, what he meant to Black community

ATLANTA — People around the country and right here in metro Atlanta are mourning the loss of actor and writer Chadwick Boseman.

The 43-year-old, most known for his role in the Blockbuster move “Black Panther” died of colon cancer Friday night.

Channel 2′s Audrey Washington was in Midtown Atlanta, where parts of “Black Panther” were filmed. The film featured a mostly Black cast, with Boseman starring as King T’Challa.

The 2018 Marvel blockbuster, which shot in Midtown and inside a studio in DeKalb County, is one of the highest-grossing films of all time.

For many young Black people, Boseman was their person superhero. He played legends like Jackie Robinson, James Brown and Thurgood Marshall.

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To fans, Boseman had no limits and real star power that shined. Condolences flooded social media late Friday night and into Saturday morning.

“I saw on social media. Twitter, Instagram, people talking about ’Wakanda Forever,” Rev. James Woodall, the President of the Georgia NAACP said. Woodall is referencing the movie’s famous catchphrase.

Woodall said Boseman inspired so many African Americans right here in metro Atlanta.

“Just seeing the way he carried himself through his career with cancer, or not, was just admirable,” Woodall said. “That was the first time in our lifetime that we were able to see such an expression of blackness, of unapologetic identity.”

Washington spoke to fan Jasmine Clark and her young daughter Jayda about Boseman’s impact on them.

“It really gave us something that we never had before in film, and that was a Black hero,” Jasmine Clark said.

“Even when he wasn’t doing that good, he never gave up and he kept on fighting,” Jayda Clark said.

Many people didn’t even know Boseman was sick. His family said he quietly and courageously battled colon cancer for four years.

Remembering Chadwick Boseman and connection he shared with Cobb County kid battling cancer

Cox Media Group