The world is still in shock over the tragic death of Chadwick Boseman, who passed away at the age of 43 after a private battle with colon cancer. The news came as such a surprise as the actor kept his illness under wraps for years, choosing not to share it with the public and continuing to work on various projects.
Not only did he keep on working, but he brought us one of the best performances of his career and also led one of the most successful and impactful blockbusters of the 21st Century. And this was all while fighting the disease that he would ultimately die of, which speaks volumes about the man’s drive, determination and impressive work ethic.
And now, as the tributes continue to pour in, a petition has sprung up that calls for a monument to be built in his honor. But not just any monument. Instead, it’d be to replace a confederate statue in Anderson, South Carolina.
As the petition explains:
In addition to his illustrious film career, Mr. Boseman made it a mission to give back to his community. Not only with his appearances at his alma mater Howard University but financially as well. Upon the release of his film Black Panther, Mr. Boseman took it upon himself to rent out a theatre in his home town of Anderson, South Carolina to show the film for free. So that young boys and girls could be inspired by the film without the financial barrier. Mr. Boseman is without question an American treasure and his accolades go on and on. It is only fitting that his work is honored in the same place that birthed him.
Earlier this year efforts were made by local residents to remove a Confederate monument located in the town square of downtown Anderson. Unfortunately, this effort gained no traction due to current South Carolina law. It is currently illegal to remove or alter monuments dedicated to confederate war efforts in the state of South Carolina (SECTION 10-1-165). This has made any effort to remove the statue impossible.
Many will agree that Mr. Boseman is without question worthy of such a monument in his home town, but I would like to go a step further. I believe that Mr.Boseman is worthy of the spot that is currently occupied in the town square.
The full thing goes even more in-depth on Anderson and the statue in question, and you can check it out via the link below. But as of now, it’s sitting at about 15,000 signatures and growing pretty rapidly, with tons of people showing their support for the plea.
Of course, whether or not Anderson, South Carolina will do anything here remains to be seen. They may not be able to take down the current statue, but they can still build some sort of monument to Chadwick somewhere in the city, if they so choose. But as we’ve seen countless times already, even the most popular petitions can fail to result in any sort of change, so who knows what’ll happen?
If you’d like to support the cause though and see a statue of Chadwick Boseman in Anderson, be sure to sign the plea down below.
