#RolandMartinUnfiltered - #RolandMartinUnfiltered honors the life and legacy of Chadwick Boseman

Episode Date: September 1, 2020

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Sometimes as dads, I think we're too hard on ourselves. We get down on ourselves on not being able to, you know, we're the providers, but we also have to learn to take care of ourselves. A wrap-away, you got to pray for yourself as well as for everybody else, but never forget yourself. Self-love made me a better dad because I realized my worth. Never stop being a dad. That's dedication.

Find out more at fatherhood.gov. Brought to you by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the Ad Council. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Martin! Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Today is Monday, August 31st, 2020, coming up on Roland Martin Unfiltered. For the next two hours, we'll honor the life and legacy of Chadwick Boseman, the major actor who died on Friday from colon cancer at the age of 43. We will talk with folks he went to Harvard with. His professors will also talk with a number of folks who worked with him

and also who appreciated his work in Hollywood. We have numerous folks lined up. Will Packer, Omari Hartwith, Anthony Anderson, Keith David, Clark Peters. We start with him in The Five Bloods. Also, Reggie Hutland, who directed him in the movie Marshall. We'll also have great music tributes from Fred Hammond, Brian Courtney Wilson, from so many different people, Gerald Albright, Kirk Whalum, and others. Folks, it is going to be an amazing two hours as we celebrate T'Challa, Black Panther, the brother who played James Brown, who played Jackie Robinson, who played Thurgood Marshall. Chadwick Boseman lost him at the age

of 43. It's time for us to bring the funk and roll the mark and filter. Let's go. With entertainment just for kicks He's rolling It's Uncle Roro, y'all It's Rolling Martin, yeah Rolling with rolling now He's funky, he's fresh, he's real The best you know, he's Rolling Martin Now He's fresh, he's real, the best you know, he's rolling, Martin! Martin! ¶¶ ¶¶ ¶¶ Never a prominent African-American passes away.

We often do tribute shows right here on Roland Martin Unfiltered. None of us thought that we would be doing the tribute to 43-year-old Chadwick Boseman. It was late Friday night when news hit social media that Boseman passed away, surrounded by his wife, family, at his home in Los Angeles. Dead at the age of 43 due to colon cancer. He was diagnosed four years ago with stage three colon cancer that progressed to stage four. We watched him in the movie Black Panther. We watched him, of course, take that role, a movie that went on to make more than a billion dollars.

We saw him in so many other movies as well, this strong, virile figure, a warrior, to lose him at such a young age. This was the statement his family released. It is with immeasurable grief that we confirm the passing of Chadwick Boseman. Chadwick was diagnosed with stage three colon cancer in 2006 and battled with it these last four years as it progressed to stage four.

A true fighter, persevered through it all and brought you many of the films you have come to love so much, from Marshall to Defy Bloods. August Wilson's My Rainy's Black Bottom and several more all were performed during and between countless surgeries and chemotherapy. It was the honor of his career to bring King T'Challa to life in Black Panther. He died in his home with his wife and the family by his side. The family thanks you for your love and prayers and asks that you continue to respect their privacy during these

difficult times. Folks, tributes to his life have been pouring in from people for the last 72 hours. President Barack Obama posted this. Chatwood came to the White House to work with kids when he was playing Jackie Robinson. You could tell right away he was blessed to the young, gifted and black to use that power to give them heroes to look up to, to do it all while in pain. What a use of his years. Michelle Obama, she posted this. Only Chadwick couldn't embody Jackie Robinson, Thurgood Marshall, and T'Challa. He, too, knew what it meant to persevere, to summon real strength,

and he belongs right there with them as a hero. For black kids and for all our kids, there's no better gift to give our world. Angela Bassett, who played his mom in Black Panther, said it was meant to be for Chadwick and me to be connected, for us to be family. But what many don't know is our story began long before his historic turn as Black Panther. During the premier party for Black Panther, Chadwick reminded me of something. He whispered that when I received my honorary degree from Howard University, his alma mater, he was the student assigned to escort me that day. And here we were years later as friends and colleagues enjoying the most glorious night ever. We'd spend weeks prepping, working, sitting next to each other every morning in makeup

chairs, preparing for the day together as mother and son. I am honored that we enjoyed that full circle experience. This young man's dedication was awe inspiring, his smile contagious, his talent unreal. So I pay tribute to a beautiful spirit, a consummate artist, a soulful brother. Thou art now dead but flown afar. All you possessed, Chadwick, you freely gave. Rest now, sweet prince. There are also tributes from Joe Biden, Martin Luther King III, Issa Rae, Kamala Harris, Viola Davis, Samuel Jackson, Oprah Winfrey, John Legend,

and so many more. We last saw him in person at the NAACP Image Awards that took place in the month of March where he won another Image Award. This is what he said on that night. Ain't you? Oh, man. You know I had to do it. You know, they say black people always thank God when they win, and I'm not going to let you down.

Thank you, God, for not just winning. Thank you, God, for the trials and tribulations that you allow us to go through so that we can appreciate these moments, we can appreciate the joy that comes from winning. Because it's not just me that's winning right now. The actors that I'm even, you know, nominated with, to be nominated with Denzel, to be nominated with Michael B. Joy, who's my brother, to be nominated with Stefan James,

I just did a movie with him, and to have your son be nominated with you in a category. It's a beautiful you in a category. It's a beautiful time in black filmmaking that we are celebrating right now. It's not just a normal time, we have to recognize that. Simone, you're with me every day. I have to acknowledge you right now. Love you. I have to acknowledge my parents,

my team that's with me at Green, Management 360, Ziffrin, my team that's with me on set, Maurice Crump, Sean D, Jesus Christ, Addison, everybody that's been there with me, Logan, you're with me every day. Thank you so much. I don't care. Thank you so much.

Because I can do it to the music. And the entire cast of Black Panther, my director, you are a genius. So thank you so much for this award. All right. None of us thought that would be the last time we would actually see him grace the stage to pick up one of the awards that he was clearly destined to win in his career. Joining us right now is Keith David. He starred with Chadwick Boseman in the movie 21

Bridges. He joins us right now. Keith, glad to have you right here on Roller Martin Unfiltered. Hey, man, I'm happy to be here. I'm sorry it's on this occasion. He was, again, I've talked to so many people and people say that they're just stunned. One, only those who close to him were aware that he was suffering from colon cancer. Ryan Coogler wrote that he had no idea when he did Black Panther. Other folks who've acted with him said they had no idea. He was going through this and doing his own stunts in these movies battling colon cancer. Just talk about the two of you on set with 21 Bridges. Well, I mean, of course, I had no idea.

But I wasn't supposed to. I mean, and I think that he was a bigger hero offstage than he was on stage in any film, to to be able to walk through that journey with the grace and dignity that he did it's extraordinary that's that's what we should walk away with is that you know you know when god is walking with you there's nothing you can't do. That is an excellent point because the reality is he was focused on the work, wanting us to see the work. And when you look at these iconic figures he played, but he also made clear that he wasn't those figures. He played Thurgood Marshall. He played Jackie Robinson. He played T'Challa. He said, but that's not me. I'm simply, that's the art in which I'm operating in. Yeah, well, I mean, that's what we do. You know, we were all lucky and fortunate that he was the vessel chosen to play those parts. Because he did, you know, he was phenomenal. He did a phenomenal job you know what he you know i mean uh i saw i saw um it was a

i think not jimmy kimmel but one of the late night talk show hosts fallon he was on and um people came to talk to his statue, you know, telling him they enjoyed the film. And then he came out and greeted them. Right. It just shows to Goyo the impact that that particular performance had on the world. You know, I mean, not every movie makes a billion dollars, particular performance, had on the world.

Not every movie makes a billion dollars, but it makes a billion dollars because you have the people who can fulfill the vision and don't disappoint. He rose to that occasion, you know, phenomenally. And, you know, that will never be able to be taken away from him. A lot of people, a lot of people want long careers. There are others who want to have,

not quantity, but they want to have quality. He was involved in acting for a very long time, but did not get his first leading man role until he was 35 years old. He passes away at 43. That's an eight year time span. But we will remember for a very long time, not someone's career that span five decades, but somebody who did a hell of a whole lot in those 43 years.

And that's what's most important. I mean, like Martin Luther King said, longevity has its place, but it really has to do with the quality of the time that you're here and what you do with that. You know, how do you live, how you live in the dash. That's important. And he, you know, has a phenomenal legacy in the dash. Indeed, indeed. We have a number of musical tributes,

but there's no way in the world I could go to them and not give you an opportunity. Folks may not realize you're an amazing singer. Last heard you when you were singing at Dr. Joseph Lowry's 94th birthday celebration. And so just what's in your spirit to honor the great Chadwick Boseman? Let me give you this little prayer. Yes, sir.

Lord, dear Lord above, God almighty, God of love, please look down and see my people through. I believe that God put sun and moon up in the sky. Don't mind the gray skies, cause they're just clouds passing by. Lord, dear Lord above, God almighty, God of love, please look down and see my people through. Keith David, we certainly appreciate you joining us, sir. Thank you very much. Thank you. Folks, I want to bring in right now Dr. Greg Carr,

Chair, Department of Afro-American Studies at Howard University. We're going to be chatting with him all throughout the next two hours. We also have a number of people who we are going to be talking with, folks at Howard University. Greg, I keep going back to the difference here, the difference in terms of the number of people who have just been floored by his passing. Obviously, I think for a lot of people, it was similar to Kobe Bryant, who was killed in a helicopter crash at the age of 41, not knowing that Chadwick Boseman was sick, not knowing that he was battling this.

Then all of a sudden, around 10 p.m. on Friday night, seeing this alert, I remember you sent me a text going, is this true? Is this true? But I think it's also hitting people a different way because I would dare say, as someone who's 51, this is like, you take Kobe and him, major stars who passed away in their prime. And for many of us, for our generation, this is the first time it has happened. We've lost all the people who were older,

but to lose someone at a young age hits a lot different than somebody who's 75, 80, 90 years old. It does, Roland. And thank you for inviting me into this homegoing that you're convening with so many of the people who were near and dear to our brother. And of course, we lost John Thompson today. He made transition, but he was 78 years old.

So it is different. You know, it's interesting when we talk about celebrity. When a sports figure makes transition, we tend to use sports figures to mark our coming of age. We were young together. So we get into arguments. People say, oh, well, Jordan wasn't the best. You never saw the big O, Oscar Robinson.

What people are really saying is, I was 14 at a different age when you were 14. When we lose musicians, when we lose musical figures, and you've done tributes to Prince, Aretha, so many others. You know, their music is the soundtrack of our life. But when we lose a film star, we often lose people who plant these indelible archetypes in our minds for the roles they portray. In our brother's case, Chad Bozeman, he is unique in the sense that he played other Black icons, as you said, in less than an eight year span. He goes from Jack Roosevelt Robinson to James Brown to Thurgood Marshall. And I think the thing that really bound his work together was a deep spirituality. He didn't just portray these guys, you know, I was very skeptical even of the Marshall role. He's not the phenotype. But what he inhabited was this ancestral place.

And I'm so glad you're going to have one of my former colleagues at Howard, who's now at American University, Sybil Roberts-Williams, who was a playwright. People are just now beginning to understand Chad Bozeman came out of South Carolina to go to undergrad to learn how to write plays, to learn how to be a director. He was headed to the East Coast, to New York. Hollywood became something that was almost a second act. And so when we see the fact that his first three kind of produced plays, Rhyme Deferred, then Hieroglyphic Graffiti, then Deep Azure, these are plays that play with African themes. Finally, as my brother and colleague Todd Stephen Burroughs, who's at Seton Hall, often says, he says, what Black Panther did, an imaginary hero that he inhabited with the force of the culture of Africa in a kind of Pan-African gloss. He says what Black Panther did was finish the job that Root

started. Root started having us look back toward the continent of Africa as our foundation, but slavery was still the frame. What Black Panther did, what those young women did with Chad Bozeman at the center, they made it OK, cool, necessary for us to understand that we are African people. And I dare say that that might be his greatest enduring gift as a symbol of the communities that raised him. So I'm looking forward to these next two hours as you convene this family to help the world understand who Chad Bozeman was before Black Panther, during Black Panther, after Black Panther. Watch these folks you see the next two hours. You're gonna really get a glimpse of something you probably won't see anywhere else. In fact, you won't see it anywhere else. One of the things that we wanted to do wasn't just to talk to people in Hollywood who worked with him. We also wanted to bring a spiritual aspect. Chadwick Bozeman was

a very spiritual brother. He was a praying brother. In April, when there was a charter school here in DC, they reached out to me and they wanted folks to speak at the graduation. And Chatwick was one of those folks who we reached out to. And what I did was I hit him up and he said, this is what he said. We'll meditate on this in the morning. I decide everything that way. Thank you for thinking of me, brother. And that's who he was.

He was a spiritual brother. I'm going to read later Ryan Coogler's letter that he released. And, Greg, he talked about in that, even in Making Black Panther, how Chadwick was focused on the spiritual nature of africans and and made that clear that that was going to be a big a major part of this and it just and and it was interesting reading it because it read as if that chadwick was the director of a soul center behind this project and not the folks who were behind it. I agree, Ro. You know, it's interesting. I was interviewing for the position at Howard the spring of the year 2000 when Chad Bozeman was finishing up. So I had a number of his friends when I came in the fall as my students, One of them in particular, Jabari Axum,

Jolly D as he calls himself, a master drummer, really a wonderful artist. Chad Bozeman pulled him in and he did, he helped with the choreography, a lot of the drumming and music on the picture. And they actually lived together during the filming of Black Panther. And one thing that, you know, struck me was, I'm racking my brain saying, you know what?

I must've met this young brother because we would come down from Philly to go to Pyramid Bookstore, Jewels of the Sun, and then the bookstores that Chad and Jabari and them worked at. So there was a brother there, Baba Tahuti, Baba Rafu. Chad Bozeman was working in an African-centered bookstore, reading, studying. And so to read and to understand that he was leading these conversations on set, not only does that not surprise me, every time I would see Chad Bolton, when he would come to Howard,

he'd do screenings, came to graduate, he had an onk on. And you know, that's a fashion statement for a lot of people. But Chadwick Bozeman was deeply rooted, not just in terms of his spiritual practice, but in terms of his study. And so this brother, no doubt he had a calming, centering influence. And I think you've framed that perfectly, brother.

I think that brother, in many ways, was in fact the director of the insistence that this work be grounded in African spirituality and African culture, whether it be continental African culture or the respect for ancestors. Because no way do you inhabit Jackie Robinson, James Brown. No way did you inhabit Thurgood Marshall in ways that allow you to convey the spirit unless you're in a spiritual conversation. Which is why I think that people have responded

to the movie in a totally different way. That they felt it uh that uh you know i i was watching the abc broadcast last night uh on you know no commercials and the and the line from from angela bassett show him who you are And there are just so many other moments in that that I think connected with black people in a totally different way. And so even though Chadwick Boseman will not get an opportunity to be in Black Panther 2. Actually, he in the words of Andrew Young, Andrew Young said physically a person may depart, but if we're still talking about them, they are still here. No question, brother. That's the truth. Roland, and I know you're a deeply spiritual man. You and Dr. Jackie Hood Martin, your wife, I mean, spiritual practice is at the center of everything you do. To know that Chadwick Boseman's oldest brother is a minister.

To know that Chadwick Boseman had spirituality not only at the center of his practice, but it embodied everything he did. To know that he trusted ancestors. I mean, one of his heroes was Muhammad Ali. At commencement, he tells a speech, and you played it, where

he says, I meet Muhammad Ali there in the yard. And I'm doing this because, not for Wakanda, although that's a symbol of the Tide, that's a whole nother conversation, ancient Egyptian symbol and by set, it's all in Black Panther. But to meet him at that crossroad of the yard reinforces the idea that Chad Bozeman seems to always have been aware of himself in time and space. We're here for a short time. And by the way, Brother David hitting that Duke Ellington come Sunday, that's one of my favorite, brother. I do believe that God put sun and moon up in the sky. So when Chad Bozeman does that, he understands we're born to leave here in our physical form, but our spirit echoes through time and space forever.

Chad Bozeman didn't have to make another film past 42 to be indelible in our minds. But by elevating T'Challa, he made it not only okay to be African, he made it okay for us to express our spirituality as African people. And that resonates in every frame of that film. I did people who wanted to bless us. Bishop Hezekiah Walker, every praise. Every praise is to our God Every word of worship with one accord Every praise is to our God Sing hallelujah to our God

Glory hallelujah is To our God. Glory, hallelujah. It's to our God. Every praise. Every praise. Every praise. It's to our God. Y'all got it now. Help us sing it. Every praise. It's to Every word of worship with one accord. Every praise is to our God. Come on everybody sing hallelujah to our God. Glory hallelujah is to our God. Come on say every praise. Glory, hallelujah. It's to our God. Come on, say every praise. Say every praise.

It's to our God. Y'all know how we do it. Take it out. Every praise. It's to our God. Every word of worship. It's one of God. Come on, say every praise.

Every praise is to our God. I want everybody all over the world to sing hallelujah. To our God. Glory hallelujah. It's to our God. Every praise. Every praise. It's to our God. It's to our God. Every praise. Every praise. Every praise. Every praise.

It's to our God. It's to our God. Let's take it up one more time. Every praise. Every praise. Come on, everybody. It's to our God. Every word of worship. Every word of worship.

With one accord. With one accord. Every praise. Every praise. Every praise. Every praise. It's to our God. It's to our God. All right, folks, joining us right now is Dr. Sybil Williams. She is Director of African American and African Diaspora Studies, the Department of Performing Arts at American University. She taught Chadwick Boseman when he was at Howard University.

Doc, how are you doing? Hey, how are you? Greg Carr said something that was really important. Chadwick Boseman talked about this. He did not come to Howard to be an actor. No, he didn't. He didn't. He came to be a director and a playwright.

And he was just one of those triple threats. He was good at everything he did. But I was listening a bit to Dr. Carr. And I think part of the reason why he was able to be so versatile with his artistry is because it was rooted in a very deep spirituality. And it was that idea, that sort of African artistry that we all are rooted in, for those of us who practice, that we are the voice of our ancestors and our people, and we use whatever means necessary to move our ancestors forward. And he always worked with that idea, that he was advancing something in someone spiritually. So I think that is why he was able to do the kind of work he was able to do, even though his concentration specifically was directing. And in fact, when he returned to Howard University in 2017, I moderated the Q&A there for Marshall.

We went out to dinner after that and we talked about that very point of how he looked at acting totally different because he started off wanting to be a director. And so he sort of embodied that mindset, which actually is a different one than someone who is an actor. You look at it totally different from a director as opposed to an actor. You do. You do. As a director, you're looking at communicating an entire story and a concept visually as well as through language. So you're looking at language, the visual concept, and you're looking at spatial design and physical movement. So with an actor, you're focusing on building a character.

With directing, you're focusing on building an experience. And so it's a very different thing. But the best actors make the best directors and vice versa, because they understand from very different perspectives that at the end of the day, what you want to do is connect to an audience. And so the tools in their arsenal are actually they can activate any of them at any time. Actors have a rich, rich body of tools that they draw from to tell a story. They communicate. That is their job. At the end of the day, it is just to communicate.

And while they may not be directly engaged in the larger conceptual picture, they are certainly instrumental in making that whole picture come together. And Chad did something else. When he was a playwriting student of mine, he wrote his senior project, Hieroglyphic Graffiti, and he worked on another hip-hop musical called Rhyme Deferred. And he began what would ultimately be anthologized, a play called Deep Azure. So he started working on all of those things while he was there with me. And he directed his hieroglyphic graffiti, his senior project, which ultimately went on to be staged in Chicago and Pittsburgh and everywhere. And I was reluctant to let him direct. I was like, Chad, it's not a good idea to write and direct

because as a writer, you're engaged in the business of creating language and you're engaged to work on the page as a director. That's a separate, you're engaged at a separate point in the process. You're engaged once the words have been put down. What you're trying to do is oftentimes writers who direct will start to direct a piece that they haven't written. And so much of it remains in their head. Like it's not on paper. So if this goes anywhere else besides you, other directors can't handle it as well because you haven't gotten the complete picture down. And he proved me wrong. He absolutely proved me wrong. He had a masterful work on paper and he directed it masterfully.

So he had that gift. Obviously, for those of us who say he had such a short career, the reality is that was a career for Chadwick Boseman before 42. He was in theater. He was in New York. So he had a body of work that existed before he hit the big screen in a major way. Absolutely. He was one of the founding writers, directors, actors for Hip Hop Theater Junction, which ultimately became High Arts, and it sort of morphed into a larger hip hop universe, theater universe. Hip hop theater was a burgeoning thing when Chad started writing hieroglyphic graffiti, which is his hip hop theater piece. And Camila Forbes, who now runs the Apollo Theater

in New York, was real rhyme deferred. So hip hop, hieroglyphic graffiti and hip hop, excuse me, and rhyme deferred, two of the classic hip hop theater pieces were written by Howard students when I was there. And they were talking to me. They were so hyped, like, we're going to do this hip-hop theater thing. We're going to do it. And it was he and then Danny Hawk started doing it and a whole host of other people started doing it. But they were already on to and thinking through the aesthetics of a hip hop theater. What would a hip hop theater look like? What would it do? How would that work move the crowd? And Chad had an extra piece because he was dealing with Hieroglyphs of Graffiti talks about Kemitic mythology. So he was already blending

the mythology of Kemit into this whole hip hop universe. And that was something that hadn't been done. It was this idea that language, the power of the nomo, the power of the spoken word creates, and it can just as well create as it can destroy. And how do we as a people really protect what we create? What kinds of rituals are necessary to protect it? So both Rhyme Deferred and Hieroglyphic Graffiti are hip hop ritual plays that use African centered myths to talk about the sacredness of hip hop, the sacredness of the cipher and why it's so important. And they were doing that, like I said, their senior year here at Howard. And then they went to the National Black Theater Festival, and then they went to Harlem and to Chicago. So they were really forging ahead to try and move that kind of idea forward. So when we talk about hip hop theater, we can't talk about it without talking about Chad Bozeman

and Camila Forbes and Nsangu Glenn Gordon, all of these Howard students who were doing that work. Last question for you. What should any student, but especially a Howard University student, take away from the work ethic of Chadwick Boseman? I think any student who really wants to follow in the footsteps of Chad Boseman needs to understand that the greatest gift you can give to yourself and to others is generosity and humility. As I said in an earlier statement I was making about Chad, he was a true intellectual in the Ibram Kendi sense of the word, in that he had a zest for learning, a love for learning. And when I say intellectual, I mean, again, true. Anybody can teach us anything. Chad would be across the street at the Blue Nile sitting in front of Blue Nile talking to people about comedic science when he wanted to learn it.

He would. I mean, that's what he did. He went anywhere people had knowledge. And so he had this girth, this breadth of knowledge that was tremendous because he was a true intellectual. He loved to learn. And that makes you generous, and that makes you humble. And if you want to be a good artist, that's where you begin, I think.

Dr. Sybil Williams, we certainly appreciate you joining us for this tribute to Chadwick Boseman. Thank you. All right, thank you so very much. Folks, Pastor John P. Key. And I thank my nephew, Roland, for giving me this opportunity. As I look at the many people who've been devastated in the last few days by the loss of this amazing young black man,

it made me pause and try to reflect on what made him so different. I called him homie, not because I knew him, but because he was a fellow Carolinian, and he was born approximately two hours from where I live right now. When I would hear him speak, I wouldn't hear what other people heard. Although many felt his pause and his grace came from the years of being such an educated man, I always knew it came from an humble beginning. In every interview I saw from his thank you to the amazing Denzel Washington, to the MTV award that he gave to Mr. James Shaw for having so much courage. It

was never about him. It appeared that he always took the time to thank others. If it was an accomplishment or a dream or vision that hadn't taken place yet, it always came from an humble place. So tonight we celebrate him not just for the many movies, not just for the heroes he played, but the hero that he will always be. He was a son, he was a brother, he was a nephew, he was a cousin, he was a loyal friend that we all wish we were acquainted with. To endure all that he did those years and never say a mumbling word took unimaginable courage. So instead of asking God tonight, Lord, why did you take him so young? Why did he have to go? Why did he have to leave us? Tonight we say to God, thank you for allowing all of us to grace his presence. Rest in paradise,

Mr. Bozeman. Job well done. I offer this. I'll see you again. I'll see you again. Ferry in the rapture. Jabbok one day will all reign. Oh, so glad the Lord allowed you to be son, brother, husband, and friend. Oh, I will see you

We will see you, yes We will see you We'll see you again. Rest in peace. Joining us now is one of the classmates of Chadwick Boseman at Howard University, Inga Willis. Inga, welcome to Roland Martin Unfiltered. Greetings. Thank you for having me. So, y'all, in a moment, y'all are going to be having a fine arts tribute to Chadwick.

Just share with our audience the Chadwick that no one had any idea about when he was walking the yard. I don't think that there's... I think you do know. I think that an artisan that's a master of craft is very serious and intense from the beginning. And I was a theater minor. I saw my play analysis professor before me speaking with you. And to see individuals like Chadwick and Camila Forbes and Susan and so many greats so intensified and inspired by learning and mastery

at the age of 18, 19 was just phenomenal. And that was consistent and constant. And the College of Fine Arts at Howard University is a world of its own and a culture within a culture. Very few people, other than those who are very close to him, knew that he was suffering from colon cancer. But I talked to others, but they said that was his natural self. He was extremely quiet, reserved, what wasn't the most gregarious person, and really kept a lot of things close to the vest?

I think it's called dignity. And I think that certain spirits come onto this earth for a reason. And Chadwick had a dignified grace that was undeniable. And even in his transition, he chose to do it his way. And I believe that is to be respected and duly noted I think that when you expose everything that's going on with you in the era we live in people can tear you apart but what he has left

us with is the work and I think that it speaks volumes because that's the one thing frankly that if you are an actor if if you are a musician, that's how you want to be judged. Not what you were, frankly, personally, not what you endured, but what you actually produced. And I think that's the question that we now have to ask ourselves. How do you desire to be remembered? What will your work leave for the future? have to ask ourselves, how do you desire to be remembered? What will your work leave for the future? And Chad was able to accomplish what most people won't in 60 or 70 years in such a short span of time and fulfill God's purpose.

And so this evening, the Fine Arts family will celebrate him in Howard style. And it is an honor and privilege to be trained and molded at Howard University where iron sharpens iron. And it's Howard forever. Unfiltered family, they're going to have that tribute. And we're going to, after they're done,

get that file and then we'll actually stream it so everyone else will be able to enjoy that. Inga, we certainly appreciate you joining us. Thank you so very much. Thank you, my brother. Thank you. Folks, other Howard University graduates and current students took time to stop by the Fine Arts Building at the university today. Memorial was created this weekend by alumna and actress Lauren E. Banks. She took time to speak with us about her experience watching Chadwick Boseman on the set of Black Panther. As a student, all you heard about was Chadwick and his work ethic. You heard about how, I mean,

when he would come to campus, you saw the pride in the professors, and as a student felt the hope that he gave us students. He was operating at the top of his game and over and over and over and I knew that was only because of the work ethic that so many professors spoke about. As a student in grad school at the Yale Drama School I had a teacher who was the dialects coach for Black Panther so I was able to shadow the whole production for about a week during the spring break of mine and I watched Shadwick work I watched in particular those big ritual scenes at the waterfall And he took on a ritual before every take and his attention to detail, his honoring again of the ancestors, his cultivation of community were all permeating

full force through that work and the set itself, the people that he invited from Howard that he went to school with to be on set, honoring, you know, a lot that I was able to be there. And that, I mean, that had a huge impact. And to see that set, to see him work, to see a Hollywood set that was unprecedented in that way that so many people of the diaspora came together to make that story happen was critical to my education and my overall cultivation as an artist. There were other students who also shared their thoughts and perspectives about Chadwick Boseman. These are like tears of sadness, but like also joy,

because I'm really blessed that we got to live in a time where someone like Chadwick got to bust the industry with his integrity to create change for the black community and that's why I heard so much that he's gone because for me personally he was a big part of me when I came to Howard because Black Panther came out and I was a transfer student so it was really vibrant I don't even know if that's even the right word so it was really vibrant. I don't even know if that's even the right word, but it was just a lot to take in to go to the school where this man who did a big thing for the culture came through. So he knows what we all go through when we come here, the struggles, and where we come

out on the other side and how vibrant and lively life can be. You know, because we have the tools, what it takes to change the world because we went here and we're at the Mecca. And when I think about his career, it was all about purpose and it was all about changing how we're seen in the media and that's a big part of what I want to do going into the entertainment industry as a director, as a writer, and as an actress. And for that, he was a blueprint, he was an icon, and he was a role model and his legacy will never die and as a Howard Bison and as Bison we're gonna uplift that legacy and he will truly be missed. But the thing I really really really appreciate with Chadwick,

if you think about it, he gave dignity to the roles. If you think about the people he portrayed, and just to think of some of them, like James Brown, Thurgood Marshall, and just Jackie Robinson, these were people who had dignity. And what he was able to do, which I think was magical, he was able to take the energy of these characters,

bring them through him, and then send it to you. And that's amazing when you can take that positive energy from one source to another source to a third source. He was on the yard, and Muhammad Ali was walking on the yard. And it reminded me all the times that I've seen somebody walking on the yard that I recognize you know he talked about how um you know when he saw him like he like made eye contact and for me I imagined it being right down there by the sundial because I'm a cute so I was like all right it's just like really like brought it to life for me

and what that experience would look like and he said that like him and Muhammad Ali, like Muhammad Ali put this up right here and said how he like transferred that energy and through that like you gonna have to fight a lot like there's a lot of struggle that's left to come and so like he gave him like the strength through that to fight on. I feel like through that speech he passed that on to me so you know when I look at him when I think about like what he represents and I think about like King T' me so you know when i look at him when i think about like what he represents and i think about like king t'challa you know like that they don't die with him you know like he really brought that to life and i feel like everything within him he kind of passed that

forward to me i was right there on my commencement man listening to him speak i remember i was right there like you know like as far as we are from each other looking at him and i look at that video and it's just like man like when you go when you pass on it's just a transition like you said it's not a it's not the end let's go back to uh dr greg carr uh greg it matters it matters to have uh graduates alumni uh to inspire the next generation generation to come back and to impart wisdom? Brother, you know, it's really, we didn't plan this. And, you know, y'all watching this, you know, Roland did what Roland does. He conjured the magic, put the pieces together, and he's rolling. I did not realize until I saw one of my former students and dear sister, Lauren Banks. You're going to hear a lot more from Lauren in the future.

I didn't realize you were going to interview her until I saw her. Lauren, many of the students that you've just seen, and alum like Inga Willis and others, she mentioned Camilla Forbes. You know, these students are attracted to a certain energy. They come with that purpose. And so we think about alumni at Howard. I was a theater major at Tennessee State. So when I first got to Howard,

Al Freeman was still on faculty. He's since now an ancestor. Henry Edmund, whose father was huge in black drama back in the 30s and 40s when the man who shaped Tennessee State's program, the great Thomas Edward Pogue was there. She was still on faculty. She's now an ancestor. Those young people then come into that space, and they are transformed

by those elders on the faculty, because the university is really the faculty and the students. And then as they are molded, they mold with each other. So the ritual of Remembrance Tonight, Fine Arts is going to have, will reflect the family they build. And the only other thing I'll say at this moment is when we saw, and we keep coming back to Black Panther, and I've been collecting comic books since I was nine years old. So folks are worried about what's going to happen in the Black Panther arc if you read the comic, including the arc now is written by Ta-Nehisi Coates, another Howard alum who was overlapping during that time at Howard. The Chadwick Bos of us there. You understand that the ensemble that made the film Black Panther was transformed in making that work. Danai Gurira, of course, Lupita Nyong'o, Jersey's own Michael B. Jordan. When you see those young people, you know, when you see them together,

they are fused together with a spirituality. And all an alumnus is, whether it be of a university or a common project, they are people who have gone through a similar experience and built a community. So I'm so glad that you captured just a tiny taste of not only what happens at Howard, but what happens in the theater program at Texas Southern and North Carolina A&T. What happens in the theater programs across the country? Tennessee State, Florida A&M, our brother down there giving money working with the great debaters and Birth of a Nation to give money to revitalize not only the debate program but the theater program and the Texas HBCUs. That's what happens at Black colleges and drama departments. And that's why they continue to produce the time the types of young genius young genius that shape the culture as we just heard this study frederick he's the president of howard university about chadwick boseman not just that

but he's also a medical doctor and we talked about colon cancer president frederick it it really has to be a huge loss for the Howard University community. A young man, 43 years old, who really was just about to go higher and higher in his career. Yes, certainly a tremendous loss. And I think, obviously, the time that he spent with us will always be regarded as short, but I hope that as a community, we'd also recognize that the quality of a life lived is not measured in time, regardless of our perspective of how short it was, but recognize that it was so impactful. He was so personable. He was so committed to his craft and committed to social justice. A lot of folks may not realize, but you also are a medical doctor.

Is it shocking to you that he did all of these things, doing lots of his own stunts, shooting these movies in between surgeries and chemo after being diagnosed with colon cancer four years ago? Stage three colon cancer that advanced to stage four. Yeah, you're absolutely right. I'm a GI surgical oncologist. As a matter of fact, ironically, on Friday, I saw one of my patients who was diagnosed with stage four colon cancer back in 2008. A gentleman I operated on, he's had chemotherapy. I've done three operations on him. Right now, he's cancer free and he's doing well but it brings home the point that uh i am very familiar with the toll that that takes on your body uh the tool it takes on your uh emotional state as well um you know sometimes going through that and waiting to get tests all of those things cause anxiety and and cause concern and at his age as well um it's a daunting diagnosis to have.

And unfortunately, it's happening to too many younger African-Americans. But for him to do all the things that he was doing, to never once complain. And I cite the fact that he came here for commencement on May 13, 2018, participated in a significant number of activities, was physically in appearance in pretty good condition, but at the same time didn't use that platform to tell his own story, which in and of itself would have been a large story to tell, but he didn't do that.

He didn't make it about himself. He told a story that the graduates needed to hear. And that, I think, also speaks to his character and his courage as well. I was there in September 2017 when we did the Q&A for the movie Marshall. And it was the first time he had come back to Howard since he had graduated 17 years previously. And he was blown away by the student reaction to that. And it was just amazing to witness that and just to see and feel his joy at the love the students gave him.

Yeah, he absolutely appreciated that. You know, the morning of commencement, he was nervous. We were sitting in the car on the way to the Fine Arts building where we do all the prep and gardening and so on. And he was in his phone reviewing his speech, his last notes, checking on things. And I mean, he was really so focused. And I was, I myself actually was a bit taken aback that somebody who had been on such large stages,

it was so important for him to be back at home. And I could see how it really impacted him. And as he got out of the car, I have a picture actually taken with a cell phone of him doing the Wakanda with the graduates in the back, getting ready to do their procession and you could just see it on his face you know the joy and the pride and so you're absolutely right he was very um I think moved uh by being on Howard's campus on that day

and and and when you when you think about again uh you talk about the quality of that work, you know, really getting his first leading role at 35. And that was just eight years ago. What does it also say to Howard University students that he is in a long line of African-Americans who have achieved success in acting in that chosen profession, what that says about the education they're receiving at Harvard. Yeah, I think that education is excellent. I mean, the legacy that he is a part of, Taraji P. Henson, Felicia Rashad, Debbie Allen. You look contemporarily at Suzanne Kelechi Watson, Camilla Forbes, who's the executive director at the Apollo. I mean, they really have a strong legacy.

And so when I made the decision to bring the College of Fine Arts back, it was predicated on the fact that I felt the education that was being received there was excellent and what we needed to do was actually to invest in the school, in faculty and the students and staff more and that that would certainly exponentially bring those these types of rewards and so it does speak volumes to what they do and I think I'm glad that you made the point that his first major role breakout role was at

the age of 35 because that's what he spoke about when he came. He spoke about failures and how you get through that and the grit and resilience and finding your purpose and sticking to it. And he's written a screenplay for a long while that he's been dedicated to. And, you know, things like that always remind me that he was really dedicated to the craft.

I do want to go back to do something you said with regards to younger African-American African-Americans getting colon cancer. Why was what's going on. Yeah, you know this is something that we have to to study more closely. When I was in medical school. Back in the early 90's. Our screening guidelines with that you've got your first screening colonoscopy at the age of 50. And that was because the majority of people who would develop a colon cancer,

unless they had some genetic predisposition, would get that colon cancer subsequent to that. What we're beginning to see now is increasing numbers of people with colon cancers in their late 20s, in their 30s, and certainly in their early 40s. And that is absolutely mind boggling. Just over the period of time that I have been out of medical school. So if you think of a 25 year period, the average age in that African American community in particular has dropped.

And that's very, it's something for us to watch. Right now, the screening guidelines are that you get screened at 45. That still would not have caused his cancer. And I think that that's lost on many people. There may be genetic issues that he may have had that's inherited. And therefore, screening of families, especially of African Americans, they're less likely to get genetic counseling. They're less likely to be referred to get those genetic tests. And those are the things that we have to raise. And I remind people as well, another dear friend, Ibram Kendi, whose story has been well told, was also diagnosed

with colon cancer at an advanced age. And he's been writing, you know, and doing his work. But that's a part of his story that he has also been open about and spoken about publicly as well. And his diagnosis as well, I believe, was at age of 36. So these are young African-American men, productive, who are being stricken with a very deadly disease and something that we as a community really have to think about how we're addressing and to move it forward. Bearing him in 2015, and so he was diagnosed a year later, are there any particular signs that

we should be paying attention to? Anything physically or anything in our stool? What should we be looking for when we talk about colon cancer? We should be looking for things like blood in the stool is one of the things we should look at. Sometimes people present with some abdominal pain that's a little bit unusual. Unfortunately, weight loss is one of those things or significant change in bowel habits. People present with anything from constipation to sometimes they may have loose stools as getting around an area of obstruction is different.

So all of those are things that we should pay attention to. Another important thing is our family history. How many of us have aunts and uncles that we're not sure what they died of, et cetera? And those are things that we should be having conversations with the elders and our family about. And sometimes you hear people say, well, he had a bowel problem. And those may be things that tip us off that we do have some type of genetic linkage that may need to be investigated and also may prompt you to get a colonoscopy earlier at the age of 35 or so as well. Well, I'll tell you this here. Right before COVID really hit, I had visited with my doctor. We had gone through my yearly exam and literally sitting on the counter right there is the referral to actually get a call and ask you done because I'm being 51 years old. And so, of course, they shut everything down when COVID hit. And so now that we're sort of out of that really, really tough danger space, a phone call certainly will be made.

And so I certainly hope other brothers and sisters do the exact same thing. Yeah, and I encourage you to do that. I had mine done last year. I'll do it in 15 years as well. And, yes, the prep isn't great, et cetera. But, yeah, it definitely is a strong peace of mind to have had it done and to know at least that at this point that that colon is clean. And so that's something that I certainly admire you for making sure that you stick to getting done as well. All right, Dr. Wayne Frederick, we certainly appreciate it.

Chad was a hell of a guy and did indeed love him somehow at university. Absolutely. And we certainly loved him back as well. All right. Thanks so much. Thank you. All right, folks. One of Chadwick Boseman's last films was the movie Defy Bloods, directed by Spike Lee.

Clark Peters was one of the actors in that movie. He joins us right now across the pond. Clark, glad to have you back on Roland Martin Unfiltered. Sad to say so under these circumstances. It's devastating. First of all, thank you for having me on. It's good to touch base with you again. I was listening to the previous speaker, and there's really not a lot that one can add to what he said, except to maybe augment the aspect of the role a human has to play when they come to this plane, you know, and the purpose that one should be living.

And I saw a talk that, I guess it was at Howard that he was giving the commencement talk where he talked about purpose, you know, and he didn't just talk the talk. He was walking the walk, you know. And the blessing of being on that set was the blessing of just having that little brother with you really and in hindsight how beautiful those moments were yeah so was a moment there where y'all were joking around uh with spike had a lot of fun with the water gun in the heat chadwick posted this on his twitter feed. Guys, go to my iPad, please. Run, run, run.

Just the trigger. Right here. You want to do one more? We got this. One more. One more. Come on. Just one more.

Just one more. Come on. Just one more. Give me some more of that shit. I want some more. When we talked about the movie, we talked about the tremendous heat y'all were in, the gear y'all were packing. And so for you to find out now that this young brother was at this point likely having stage four colon cancer, went from stage three to stage four, it's just stunning that he was fighting through all of that. Yes, yes.

I don't know how to put this. It's really celebrating the spirit that a person can tap into. It was 104 degrees rolling on a lot of days that we were out there. And we were running like young men, well, we were trying to run like young men, you know? And if you look at what chad was

doing in that in that in that scene when the helicopter lands you know he's running a he's running half the half the half the length of a football pitch from that helicopter to the first place that he has to that he has to land you know and then zigzag across that field which is as long as a football pitch to get to, to get to the airplane. And it's not just take one and you're done. No, you're doing that two, three, four, five times. So in hindsight, I just found myself earlier today just completely overwhelmed with emotion that this child was going through all this. You know?

And, yes, there were times when Chad did look tired, you know? But we were all tired. You know, it wasn't unusual. You know, we're not used to that. We're not used to working like this, you know? And everyone's giving 100%. And that brother was right there with us, right there, you know, everyone's giving 100% and that brother was right there with us right there you know leading us you know

you gave an interview earlier where you talked about that none of y'all had any idea and when we showed the image awards video at the outset he thanked his whole team and we know

a lot of people have teams they have publicists they have personal chefs whatever but he actually had a whole team who was trying to take care of his body and you saw that and thought it was one thing but now we know it was something else you know um there were times when he would come on off and he would sit down and Bruce would be there massaging him. Somebody else would be rubbing his feet, you know. There was another person who was just doing like an energetic thing around his aura.

And at first, you know, we thought, you know, he's being a little precious here. That's exactly what we were thinking. I promise you, you know, and how wrong we were. They were being precious because he was precious. He was precious. He was precious. And they were really looking after that gem. And we had no idea, you know.

And that's what got me this morning. Because my wife had asked me, you know, what was it like? And I was looking forward to working with him, you know. And that moment, how wrong can you be, you know, and that just, that moment is, how wrong can you be, you know, when you don't give a person a chance, you know, when you come upon somebody with some prejudgment, you know, and that's what pissed me off, excuse my language, you know, for not, for letting something like that get under my skin you know i'm thinking like we're here to work and you're sitting over there getting pampered well you were supposed to be pampered you know and you were supposed to be treated like that and he was right to applaud his team for doing that because as a witness they looked after him like to the point we didn't know what was happening we did not know and they supported him through that 104 degree heat to do the things that he had done and he would not have been able to do it without that treatment you know and that was absolutely accurate for that to have been like that and i was a fool not to not to to look at in

some other way you know but this is what hollywood does to people this is what you know, but this is what Hollywood does to people. This is what, you know, these are the trappings of our business, you know. And it's very rarely that you come across an actor who understands their craft, who understands the power of storytelling and aligns themselves accurately and their lives accurately with the best way to use this God given gift. And there's one, you know, there's one who did that. You know, very few of us do that. There was a, there was a video that he did. It was posted on Instagram. And it was a video that he did back in April that showed a significant amount of weight loss.

And there were a lot of people who Were commenting on that video there were people who said they were concerned about his weight loss And they they were just really they were just really really they were talking about and is very concerned and and at the time I was like guys look this is what actors do. 50 Cent did a movie and lost a ton of weight. Christian Bale put on 60 pounds. Robert De Niro. These things happen to actors all the time.

Yes. And I text, chat with him about that. And I said I was going to do a video saying, yo, y'all need to chill out. And what happened was we had a conversation and he asked me not to reveal it at that time. But you being an actor, I would love for you to speak to this

because this is actually what he said. As an artist and a human i shared my feelings with you but in the public realm i can't explain myself that takes away from the art and the way of the artist i would rather be misunderstood than go explaining away the reasons for my actions. You will see it on the screen. There's just a certain code that you live by when you do this for real. People don't understand our craft or our way of life. Both things feed each other. He thanked me for doing the video.

He never revealed what he was going through. Yeah. And when he passed away, I got the news, and I sat at my kitchen table for two hours, and I didn't move. Where'd you go, bro? Clark, are you there? Where'd you go? Clark, we still got you.

Clark, we still got you. I'm rolling. I lost you. No, we got you. Clark, we still got you. Oh, Roland, I lost you. No, we got you. Clark, you're there. Roland. Clark, we still got you. Guys, I don't know why he can't hear me,

but let him know that we still got him. I lost you, brother. All right, hold tight one second. Guys, let me know. Clark, can you hear me now? Clark, can you hear me now clark can you hear me all right so let me all right let me know yeah if y'all could uh close it out and so i saw i want to explain this folk can you understand there was somebody who went to my Instagram page and he said um see Roland you were wrong no I wasn't wrong uh Clark can you hear me now yes I'm with you okay and

and so I read the full quote and I and I sat at my kitchen table for two hours Clark and all I could do was just go back and read this text exchange that we had. Okay. And now. When we lost connection there. Sure. I lost what you were saying there. The last thing I heard you say was the quote from Chadwick.

Got it. This is what he said. Yes. As an artist and a human, I shared my feelings with you, but not in the public realm. I can't explain myself. That takes away from the art and the way of the artist. I would rather be misunderstood than go explaining away the reasons for my actions. You will see it on the screen. There's just a certain code that you live by when you do this for real. People don't understand our craft or our way of life. Both things feed each other.

Yes. And I sat at my kitchen table. I just kept reading. And I was moved to tears reading this exchange that we had because he never ever said to me what he was dealing with. But as I read this in light of his death and knowing what he was experiencing. What Chadwick Boseman was saying was, I need you to see the character and not me. I need you to feel the character and not feel sorry for me. And that was, I just sat there, man, and I just kept reading it. And I was like, wow.

Yeah, yeah. You know, it's acting is a powerful trade to be in. If you work on stage and you're discerning, you see the effect that you have on human beings who are observing your performance. This isn't a real calling to theater to become an actor. It is not the calling to, I want to be a star.

It is not the calling to, I want to be a star. It is not the calling to, I want to have the big car, the big house. The calling is, how best can I tell the story that carries some truth that can alter the observer's life. This is a responsibility. Looks like we lost Clark Peters there. We'll try to get him back. Folks, right now, I want to go to Reverend Dr. William J. Barber. Repairs of the breach, Poor People's Campaign, with his eulogy for Chadwick Boseman. Thank you so much, Roland. Gracious God, help us remember properly that we might live faithfully. Amen. There's a scripture, Roland, in all of your listeners, Hebrews chapter 10, verse 39, that says,

But we do not belong to those who shrink back and are destroyed, but to those who have faith and are saved. And then it says in chapter 11 of Hebrews, Now faith is the confidence of what we hope for and the assurance or the evidence about the things we do not see. I've been thinking about this and distribute eulogy to Chadwick Boseman. And Roland, in a real sense, he didn't shrink back, and neither can we. As I've listened to the last 30 minutes, he didn't shrink back and neither can we. One rendering of his name Chadwick literally means the warrior's town. The name Chadwick literally means the warrior's town. So his very name, before he ever played Black Panther, was to be named a warrior.

And as a warrior, a righteous warrior, a committed warrior, he didn't shrink back from disease. If you look at it, 39 years old, four years diagnosed and for four years battling. He did not shrink back from the disease. He kept moving, kept producing, kept believing, kept living, kept acting, kept being a thespian, kept moving in the theater. He did not shrink back from the disease. We are not of those who shrink back. He didn't shrink back from his destiny, from his destiny. You know, life is really about destiny,

coming to a place where you know you've been born for such a time as this, you've been born for this role, you've been born to do this. And life, when you understand that, is not really about how long, but committing an assignment and being faithful to that assignment. And when you do that and it is coupled with not just being for yourself, but for others, then indeed our living, our living is not in vain. And Brother Bozeman's living was not in vain. He didn't shrink back from this disease. He did not let it dominate him.

And he did not shrink back from his destiny. But then, and your just previous speaker, Brother Clark, helped solidify this in my spirit. He did not shrink back from his dedication to deliver a message dramatically. When you look at Brother Chadwick Boseman's life and look at how he took on black male figures, both historically and fictional. Every one of them had a message, not just for the movie, but literally for the movement. Every one of them had something to say, not just on the screen, but something to say that literally can save us as a people. I wanna remind us of some of those in these last few minutes.

Can you hear Brother Bozeman when he embodied Thurgood Marshall? And in that movie, one of the lines he dramatically presented was, the Constitution was not written for us. We know that. But no matter what it takes, we're going to make it work for us. And from now on, we claim it as our own. That wasn't just a line for a movie he brought that line to life in such a way that we need to hear it right now in the movement maybe the

constitution wasn't written for us maybe a lot of things that have been done in this country weren't done for us but we're gonna make it work for us and we're going to claim it for our own thank you brother bozeman for bringing that to life remember that other line in the movie marshall when he said i wouldn't be here if i didn't think we could win there was a dialogue between him and the jewish lawyer that was wondering what was going on and why would he come there just him by himself do you think we can win he said said, I wouldn't be here. And then there was this conversation between him and the man who had been falsely accused. I wouldn't be here if I didn't think I could win.

My how we need to hear that when we're standing for struggle and we're standing for us right. There's nothing, there's no need to fight if we already believe we're defeated. But Brother Chad, we brought this to life. I would not be here if I didn't think we could win. That's why BLM is in the streets. That's why people are marching because they think, they believe, they believe, they believe we can win.

And then some of the lines that were said to him, like Black Panther, I'm sure my brother Freddie Haynes would deal with this one, show them who you are. Show them who you are. There comes a time that you have to do that. And then that other one, when in the movie Black Panther, the sister says to him, you get to choose what kind of king you want to be. We need to hear that in our lives. You get to choose, Roland. I get to choose. We all get to choose what kind of king we're going to be, what kind of person we're going to be, what we're going to do with our lives. And then, you know, we have to hear how he brought the king, King T'Chula to life and I thought about these last three lines. One, Wakanda will no longer

live in the shadows. We cannot, we must not, we will work to be an example of how we must work to be brothers and sisters on the earth and how we should treat each other. My God we need that example. We need, we cannot stay in the shadows. Those of us who know what's right cannot stay in the shadows.

And he brought that line, Brother Boseman brought that line, Brother Chadwick brought that line to life, playing a fictional character, but saying to us what we need to have in this real life. Then he said, line, he said, today, we don't just fight for one life, we fight for them all. Can you hear that? Can you hear that, those of you that are listening? When we're in the street now, whether it's fighting for

Brother Blake or whether it's fighting for the person that died because they did not have what they needed on a job that was made lethal because of COVID and inept responsibility to deal with those things that should have been dealt with. When we stand, we're not just standing for one life. We fight for them all. And then the king said, King T'Challa, in times of crisis, the wise build bridges while the fool build barriers. Oh, goodness, if we could just lift that up as Brother Chadwick did and put that before the nations. The fools build walls. The fools build barriers.

Don't follow the fools. The fools try to keep one from another. The fools try to separate us black and another. The fools try to separate us black and white. The fools, the fools. But the king, when he lifted it up, when he dramatically presented that, said in times of crisis, the wise be a bridges. Are the fools be a barrier? The last one is, you know, in the movie, when he's thrown over the cliff, it looks like the new king has come.

He has a lot of bitterness. And then T'Chula finds his way back. A fisherman picks him up, and then they are able to revive him. And he comes back for that second battle, and he says, I never yielded. The guy says, no, you're no longer king. You're no longer king. But he says, I never yielded. The guy says, no, you're no longer king. You're no longer king. But he says, I never yielded. And all of us need to hear that.

And all of us need to say that sometimes. We don't know what we're going to face like him. Cancer. We don't know heart issues. We don't know racism. We don't know what. But there's something about living when you say, but I never yielded.

I may have been knocked down, but I never yielded. Weapons may have been formed against me, but they didn't prosper. I have not yielded. I still walk by faith. I am not of those who shrink back unto destruction. Thank you, Brother Boseman. Even in that fictional character, the Panther, to remind us that there's a place in life where we must say, I've never yielded, beaten, broken,

knocked down, but I've never yielded. And you never yielded. He never yielded. And so he's gone from us now, but his spirit is yet with us. And while all of those that I just spoke were lines on screen, lines in dramatic productions. Here's one that was not on the lips of a character, but on his own. Brother Chadwick said, when I stand before God, at the end of my life, I would hope that I would not have a single bit of talent left. And I could say I used everything you gave me.

Let what he said and did be what we say and do. When we stand before God at the end of our lives, let us hope that we don't have a single talent left, that we've spent it all in the cause of love and justice and humanity, that we use everything God gave us. And you know what, Roland? That's the best way to honor. That's the best way to honor somebody that you loved, that died,

that lived a powerful life is imitation it's imitation and so let us imitate him let us imitate him and give it all give everything we have, every bit of talent we have while we're here to make this world better

and Roland I close here with this something you and I know well and I know well, and I can hear it in the life of Brother Chadwick. Out of the night that covers me, black as a pit from pole to pole, I thank whatever gods may be for my unconquerable soul. In the failed clutches of circumstance, I have not winced nor cried aloud. Under the bludgeoning of chance, my head is bloody but unbowed. Beyond this place of wrath and tears looms but the horrors of the shade, and yet the menace of the years, whatever that menace is, finds and shall find me unafraid. It matters not how straight the gate, how charged with punishment the scroll.

I am the master of my fate. And I am the captain of my soul. Rest, sweet prince. And we'll see you in the morning. God bless you. Reverend Dr. William J. Barber, we certainly appreciate it, sir. Thank you so very much. Joining us right now is Joteka Eady.

She is a close friend of the Bozeman family. She's from South Carolina. He was a native of Anderson, South Carolina, grew up there, wanted to play basketball, but until it wasn't until a friend who was shot and killed that he then wrote a play that put him on this current path. Joteka, glad to have you here. Just your thoughts about knowing Chadwick Boseman and his family. You know, I think it's been a very heavy last couple of days for many people. But I think also it's been a moment of reflection for not only people of South Carolina, but just people everywhere. Because I do reflect on Chad's life, Chad's contribution to this world. It makes you stop and think about what it means to have a purpose driven life. And that is, I believe, what would be one of his greatest contributions to this world. We all marveled in Black Panther, what it means,

what it meant, what it will always mean to us, that embodiment of Black Panther, how his craftsmanship made us feel. But I think also it's just how he lived his life and the honor in which he lived his life, how he chose to use his craft and to walk in purpose, how he chose to uplift his people and to remain committed to justice. I think that is in itself something that we all can learn from, as Reverend Barber said, the best way to honor

someone is to imitate them. And I believe that if we can all be a bit more like Chad, then we will all be better. He was proud to be from South Carolina. In fact, there's already a petition there to get rid of a Confederate statue there at Anderson, South Carolina, to replace that with a statue of Chadwick Boseman. I'm 100% in agreement with that. I'm going to do everything in my power. Roland, you know I will make every phone call and do everything to support the honoring of Chad Boseman. What I can say is being from South Carolina and Chadwick in so many ways, you know, James Brown for his, put South Carolina on the map.

And for my generation, Chadwick put South Carolina on the map. No matter, you know, who you were, no matter where you were from in South Carolina, you were so proud of the fact that Chadwick Boseman was from South Carolina and you wore it proud. And it was before Black Panther because he embodied James Brown. He embodied Thurgood Marshall. He embodied Jackie Robinson. And the fact that he was playing these significant roles of historical figures in our world,

it meant a lot, not only that he was this superstar actor, but that he also was someone that was using his craftsmanship to speak volumes to the times and to uplift legacy of the black experience in America. And so you are just proud. I'm from a small town, Johnsonville, South Carolina. Chad is from a town, Anderson, South Carolina, very small town. And so if anyone knows, Anderson, South Carolina, very small town.

And so if anyone knows about Anderson, South Carolina, what you know is there are two roads. There's Groves Road. There's Bozeman Road. And on both of those roads lived Chadwick's family. And they are just the most amazing, most beautiful people, hardworking, loving people. And when you think about the life that Chad lived and you think about his family, what I can say is that when your foundation and your roots are strong, as a result, the tree and the flowers that will blossom, they have no other choice but to be bright and bold and to give light to the world.

And I believe very strongly that Chad and the way that he lives is a direct result of the family that he grew up in, the family that he, you know, spent his life in this small town of Anderson, but these wonderful people, loving people. And I was having a conversation with Chad's family this afternoon, and they were just sharing, you know, Chad was loving. Chad was someone that was a protector. He was a jokester.

And every time, I would often see Chad at the Image Awards and he never had an air about himself. He was always someone that was very down to earth, very much humble in the biggest movie of all time. Very humble, always just kind. And I think that speaks volume to just the type of person that he was, but more so the family in which he was raised. Dr. Ede, a family friend of Chadwick Boseman. We appreciate you sharing your thoughts with us. We appreciate it.

Thanks a lot. Thank you, folks. Right now, we will last by the singer Brian Courtney Wilson. Family blessed by the singer, Brian Courtney Wilson. Family, hey, this is Brian Courtney Wilson. I just want to send this offering out in the memory of Chadwick Boseman and in comfort to his friends and his family and all of his supporters and to say thank you for holding on long enough for us to see something we had never seen before. I found the will Will to keep going When the road gets hard and everything's dark

And the storm winds are blowing I encourage myself To hold on and I won't let go I won't let go I found the grace grace so amazing and every morning I see it following me Even when my world is crazy

I encourage myself To hold on I won't let go Holding on Is Never easy is never easy. It takes a strength and a courage that comes

from above, from above. But the Lord gives us power to make it. By his might, we can fight. If we stand, if we stand in his love, I've found a wheel In the middle of a wheel

And it keeps on turning, turning, turning, turning Keeping me still. I encourage myself to hold on. Come what may, I'll hold on Through the storm Through the rain Floodwaters all around me I'll keep reaching for your hand

So hold on and I won't let go. I won't let go because eyes haven't seen and ears haven't heard There is so much more, so much more And that's why I'm pressing towards the mark Because the calling on my life is worth fighting for. I keep my mind stayed on my king. Because the peace it brings is worth fighting for. I got a mansion over in glory and my new more Still worth fighting for

Thank you so very much, Brian Courtney Wilson. Folks, there are a number of people in Hollywood who offer their reflections of Blair Underwood, excuse me, of Chadwick Boseman, and here is Blair Underwood. Hey, everybody, it's Blair Underwood. I just wanted to add my voice to the condolences and all of the comments and perspectives on the passing of our young King Chadwick Boseman. I didn't know Chadwick well at all. We met once or twice, and I always gave him much respect for the success he was having in his career

and representing us as a community and as a culture with all the iconic figures he played, i.e. Jackie Robinson and James Brown and Thurgood Marshall and, of course, the monumental King T'Challa and Black Panther. You know, oftentimes people can underestimate the power of entertainment or the portrayal of characters and historical figures, but it is a phenomenal thing, and it inspires people and encourages people, and it gives people hope. And that's what you did for us, young king. So rest in power, young king.

And God bless you and your family and your loved ones. Peace. Actress Noria Vittoria studied at the same school as Chadwick did in the UK. Here's her tribute. Chadwick Boseman attended the British American Drama Academy in 1998. I attended in 2018. But the way his name was spoken on that campus every single day, it was like he was right there with us. We knew Chadwick was a presence beyond the screen.

We saw him channel the stories of our ancestors with such ease. And yes, he had the training. Yes, he put in the hard work. But the way those stories chose him, the way they went through him with such power and purpose, it was as if he knew he was already close to being an ancestor. And now we know that he actually was. So I just want to exalt him for being the highest example of having one foot in the spirit world and one foot in a human body and still bringing all the work ethic, still bringing all the talent, still bringing all the humanity. We can only hope to be so saintly. Thank you, Mr. Bozeman, for what you've given us during your time on earth, and thank you for watching over us as an ancestor now, as I'm certain you knew you'd be. We love you.

Yesterday, today, forever. Here's actor Dondre Whitfield. So saddened by the loss of our brother Chadwick, many people are going to talk about the loss of another great icon in our industry. Some people are going to talk about the loss of, uh, of a powerful black person in our community. I just want to talk about the loss of your manhood, my brother. I wrote a book on manhood,

but you embodied it. You didn't lead with your struggle. You just kept moving, kept doing what was necessary for you, for your family, for your community. I often say that acting is my passion, but activation is my purpose. Activation was certainly your purpose. You have activated all of us through your work and through your wisdom.

And even more in the dignity of your death. We honor you, brother. Rest in power. Here for another eulogy of Chadwick Boseman is Pastor Jamal Bryant. Roland, thank you so much for giving me the honor and the distinct privilege to memorialize a icon of this age and considered without any contesting the greatest thespian of this generation widely considered the white viola davis meryl streep once said, Acting is not about being someone different. It's finding the similarity in what is apparently different than finding yourself in it.

Michael Sherliff, in what's described as sacred text for actors, wrote a book entitled Audition. Michael describes acting as this, acting is standing up naked and then turning around slowly. James Lipton, who for 21 seasons hosted the venerated Inside the Actors Studio, which were intensive interviews with some of the greatest actors of this era, from Denzel Washington to Sidney Poitier, frequently asked of the guests,

how do you prepare to be in character? For the countless Sunday afternoons that I viewed, I was arrested with intrigue. And never once do I ever remember the question being posed, how do you get out of character? There's always how do you get into character, but never how does an actor, an actress, get out of character? I always wondered,

because there's so many writers who posit that the life of my childhood comrade, Tupac Shakur, eternally changed after he played the role of defiant, violent thug named Bishop in the urban classic, Juice. It was after that that he signed with Death Row Records, and he never came out of character. Chadwick Boseman, a consummate gentleman hewn out of the soil of Anderson, South Carolina,

had a meteoric rise after graduating from the very same institution that produced Kamala Harris. Chadwick only had one flaw, and that flaw is that he took pieces of himself into the next role. Whatever he was in previously, he took it into the next thing. His breakaway role was playing Jackie Robinson in 42. It is in that role that he learned the indignities that are attached to being a trailblazer.

One year later, after Jackie Robinson in 42, he then starred and played as James Brown in Get On Up, where Chadwick acknowledged that he didn't even know how to dance until he got the part. And from playing in that role, he figured out how to dance to the beat of your own drum, even if nobody else knows the tune. Three years later, he morphed into Thurgood Marshall, who litigated for those who weren't on stage but deserved a level playing field. where he introduced into mainstream the undercurrent of Afrofuturism, described by Toni Morrison as the thought of the future without permission of European consent. He found himself, Chadwick did, playing a legend.

And after he got tired of playing a legend, he played a hero. And after he was done playing a hero, he played a superhero. And now Chadwick Boseman is playing the role of an ancestor and doing all of that before ever coming to 44. William Shakespeare, considered to be one of the greatest playwrights of theater, said it tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow, creeping to a petty pace from day to day,

and life is just a poor player that struts and frits its hour upon the stage, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing. The Bible tried to warn us by declaring that life is but a vapor. He came on the stage crashing fast, and in a quiet, dignified way, exited without ever complaining. Tonight, we have heard snapshots of our favorite roles, our favorite lines, our favorite portrayals, our favorite films, our favorite memories.

And we're all aghast at how it is that he could play one with the same high quality and caliber and play the next without any deficiency. Maybe it's because of his time as a member of One Way Church in Los Angeles under the pastorate of Torrey Roberts that Chadwick

reminded himself what he learned early in life while going to a small church in Anderson, South Carolina that Jesus is not an actor. According to Hebrews 13 and 8, Jesus is the same actor. According to Hebrews 13 and 8,

Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and forever. But the amazing thing about God, He takes things from our past, He deposits them in our present, and then He prepares them for our future. All things work together for good. Isn't it amazing that Chadwick knew all of his lines and followed all of his cues because he sat under the tutelage of the galaxy's great director who knew how to set the stage, knew that the sun belonged here,

that the moon can only come out at the appropriate time, that the birds are to fly south only during the winter, that the roses are to come into full bloom. And while Chadwick was still in his mother's womb, God snapped his finger and new labor was to begin. You ought to be glad that we now have another scene to play. That no matter what it is that you did yesterday, it does not forfeit the role you're going to play tomorrow.

In the book Auditions, it says to every up-and-coming embryonic actor and actress, be prepared for rejection. It doesn't mean that you are not right. It just means that the script is not right for you. In this, what Prince calls this electric stage called life, we discover that our rejection was not a rejection of who we are. It was a rejection of who we are getting ready to become.

I know all of us are finding ourselves amiss and speechless at this moment. But if you've ever been to theater, if you've ever seen a great actor, a great actress, you know that after they have given the performance of their life, the curtain closes. And then those who were in attendance and found themselves enraptured in the imagination of a real reality,

they cry out, Encore! Bravo! Encore simply means, I want to see it again. For those of us who have a relationship with God, you ought to be crying out loud from Howard's Dormitory, from Shanty's in South Carolina, from condos in Los Angeles, from empty movie theaters in Milwaukee. Encore. And you're only declaring encore because you know we're going to see Chadwick again.

You don't have to wait for Netflix or Hulu. AMC is closed until further notice. HBO is playing reruns because they don't have new content. When will I see him again? It's because you forgot that God is the ultimate director. He said, when the trumpet sounds, thewick Boseman, will come and take a bow. And they will not bow because of the works they've done.

They will bow at the feet of our Lord and Savior, hoping that he will clap loud enough just to declare, well done, thou good and faithful servant. Let us all play our role, remember our lines, and take the scene seriously, knowing this will be the performance of our lives. Thank you. Pastor Jamal Bryant, we sure appreciate it, sir. Thank you so very much.

Now I'll be blessed by my buddy, Fred Hammond. No weapon farmed against me Shall prosper yet for a while No weapon formed against man Shall prosper He formed a word No weapon formed against man Shall prosper formed against me shall prosper.

It won't work out. It won't work. I know God will. But He said He would. He will stand by His word. He will go through. Yeah. God will do what He said He would do.

He will stand by His word. He will come through. Oh, I won't be afraid of the arrow binding from the hands of my enemies. I can stand my ground with the Lord on my side. For the snares and the tap they set will not succeed. No way Come on, say it like you mean it No weapon

For ducking Yeah, yeah Yeah, yeah It won't work No weapon Come on, say it like you mean it For ducking Yeah 2020 might have been a dog, but you're still here. It won't burn. The world formed against me shall prosper.

It won't burn. There just ain't one. There just ain't one There just ain't one There just ain't one There just ain't one There just ain't one There just ain't one There just ain't one There just ain't one That just ain't one

That just ain't one Oh no, oh no How many years it's said That just ain't one How many years it's said That just ain't one That just ain't one yet. That just ain't one. That just ain't one.

That just ain't one. If you lose your job. That just ain't one. You don't see how you're gonna make it God has got your back and he's gonna hook you up gonna hook you up again

hook me up Jesus I need you Jesus I need you Jesus I need you Jesus if your mother and father forsake I need your tears. I need your tears. If your mother and father forsake you. Let your friends talk about you like a dirty dog.

It don't matter. It don't matter. Say it. Go. Do you believe it? Do you believe it? Just so. Stand on the word of God. Count on the word of God. count on the word of God, trust in the word of God.

It's impossible to fail. We're now joined by entertainment journalist Jasmine Simpkins. Jasmine, welcome to Roland Martin Unfiltered. Hey Roland, how are you doing? I'm sure quite like you. There were a lot of opportunities. You had an opportunity to sit down and talk with Chad Bozeman. Your thoughts, your remembrances? Oh, my gosh. You know, I feel like my career was evolving as his career was evolving. Some of his earlier work, even ones we, you know, I heard you say earlier, his career didn't start at 42. So he had films, you know, he was doing soap operas before he was doing theater.

And along the way, I was doing print journalism and, you know, got a chance to chat with him, even in the early days as Hollywood was starting to take notice. But as his star rose, he never changed. So one of the things I will remember most is that he didn't treat me any differently. His smile was the same. His laugh was the same. His banter was the same. We joked every time before we started interviews. And so I will remember that because you don't have a lot of and you know, this interviewing people who kind of have that connection and that spirit, you know, and who love the work that they do, but love talking about it as well. One of the things, though, that a lot of people we interview that they're not necessarily folks you actually want to meet again. But Chad was someone who, again, he was very personable, someone who had that huge smile when you would meet him.

He would certainly remember and was always a pleasure to be around. Yeah, for sure. That was definitely and it was something that, you know, you also hear his co-stars say about him as well. His energy never changed. And to know that that energy was consistent while he was on this four-year battle with cancer is just, it's inspiring, but it's also sad to know. And as I look back at interviews, knowing that as I was sitting across from him just in November, and his appearance was definitely different. He appeared a little bit more frail than normal. I chalked it up to perhaps he was

getting ready for another role because an artist like him is going to dive deep. He's going to do what he has to do to become the character. He was that type of thespian. And he told me that he did lose weight for the role for 21 Bridges. But now looking back, I could see in his eyes that there was definitely a struggle to even say those words because I'm sure for him, he knew that he definitely was on a battle much bigger than he was letting on. A last question for you, and that is, I said this earlier, that we, I think people are responding in such a different way because one, obviously no one knew totally unexpected but also he was one one of the first artists of our generation for us to lose yeah and for

young kids to have a black superhero if you read the comic books if you were a Marvel fan you knew that that T'Challa existed. But for him to be, you know, live and on the big screen and for the film to have done a billion dollars worldwide meant that he resonated with not only young black boys, but young children in general. And I think that's why this also hurts because they found and had a superhero that looked like them. Little boys had something to look up to when they put that mask and that costume on. It took on a whole different meaning. And so I think this one hurts deep because it was a long time coming. We've been waiting for our king. We've been waiting for our Black Panther and for him to arrive in the anticipation even of a second film.

You know, people were excited for that. And to know that he's now passed, you know, it just stings. It really hurts and it will hurt for quite some time. Indeed. Jasmine Simpkins. We certainly appreciate it. Thank you so very much. Thank you, Roland. Bring back Greg Carr. Greg Carr. Again, people touch us in different ways. That is the power of art and how we remember somebody certainly speaks to that. Greg, still there. There we go. Yeah. Go ahead, Greg. I'd say very quickly, first of all, for the folks worried about Black Panther, as somebody who's been collecting comic books, like I said, for 40 years, if you know the comic arc in Marvel, Shuri becomes the Black Panther in recent years. I'm expecting Letitia Wright.

I mean, we don't know what's going to happen. But I think this is an opportunity, even in the Marvel universe, to introduce even another level of African spirituality. They could very well continue to have Brother Chad's image, Brother Chad existing in the ancestral realm with his father and all the previous Panthers. And if it follows the arc of the comic, sure, he will become the Black Panther. But in terms of where he fits, I think Jasmine summed it up beautifully, brother. The thing about film actors is they occupy our imagination long after they've transitioned. Right. Whether it be Paul Robeson, whether it be Sidney Poitier, who's still with us. But from Poitier to Denzel Washington, now we have Viola Davis. We can think about all of the great iconic figures. Chadwick Boseman's ability to channel, to channel the spirit of iconic Black figure. And then in his kind of, I don't know, valedictory turn, really, even though he did

Defy Bloods, We're Waiting on Ma Rainey's Black Bottom, which really tells you as well about the choices he made as an artist. I mean, to do August Wilson's piece is very important with Denzel Weiss producing. But for him to give a valedictory of sorts with T'Challa, really, and then make transition in the way that he has with us, as Jasmine said, anticipating the future, really opens the way for us to consider the nature and role of spirituality from African perspective. You've curated that for us tonight with the eulogies, with the music. African people have never believed that the thing you see with your eye is even the principal thing. It is the thing you cannot see.

It is the aspiration to connect to the thing you cannot see. Our ancestors are always with us as the creator is always with us and the life of chad mcboat chadwick boseman not only in his what he played but how he lived is a testament to that brother it's a beautiful thing actor laz alonzo a fellow howard university graduate as a fellow howard university bison uh and an actor in this business, I want to say that Chadwick Boseman not only made me tremendously proud, but I never expected his loss to hurt me and impact me the way that it did. And when I can say that it has been a unanimous pain within our community, very rarely does

everyone feel this pain the same way. We did lose our king. And I just want to say that the class that he exhibited, the quiet strength and security and honor that he brought to our business and our profession is something that is not easily replaceable. And on behalf of one of the many that are still feeling his loss, I want to say thank you to him. Thank you to his family for sharing him with us. Thank you to God for giving him that talent. And I know that he is in a better place now, and to know that he did everything that he did, battling the fights that he was dealing with in his personal life, makes me respect him just that much more.

Thank you, Chadwick. You are loved, you are honored, and I shake, brother. We all remember Sherri Shepherd giving Chadwick that hug from behind when he was on The View. She shared her thoughts with us. Hi, everybody. I'm Sherri Shepherd. I got the pleasure of meeting Chadwick Boseman when he came on The View and we got to interview him. I just remember a very kind and humble man. Chadwick had a wicked sense of humor, which really made me feel like I could run up to him and hug him. It

was something about wanting to go and hug him that hit me. And I ran up behind Chadwick and I hugged him. And what I remember is he squeezed my hand so tightly against his chest and I kept thinking he gonna break my reading glasses but he squeezed my hands and I thought wow he made me feel so special but now I think about it maybe he needed that hug too so thank you for being a superhero for me and especially for my son who who's never seen a superhero before. I'm so inspired by Chadwick and I love you forever. Next up, Ruben Santiago Hudson, who has, of course, spent lots of time in the theater world, a place where Chadwick first got his start. When I think about Chadwick Boseman, I'd rather deal with his contributions than the loss, because for a man to contribute to the world, to culture, to African American people, to humanity,

the way he did in such a short, such a brief time, such a dynamic time, is truly a gift. The way he walked in strength and dignity and grace, generosity, power, was just a beautiful thing to behold. So we will miss you Chadwick, but we will never forget the impact that you have had on all of us. Thank you. Thank you so much. Next voice you will hear is Reverend Freddie Haynes, but before we hear from him, a selection from Gerald Albright.

Greetings. Gerald Albright here, celebrating the life of the incredible, the incomparable Chadwick Boseman. I didn't get a chance to meet him while he was here, but I felt like I knew him through his work as a phenomenal actor and we have a whole legacy of his work to remember him by. I'd like to send condolences and prayers to his family and also like to at this time dedicate a song that I wrote a few years back that's very close to my heart. This is entitled The Gospel. um uh Thank you. guitar solo guitar solo Thank you. guitar solo guitar solo ¶¶ Thank you so much, Roland, for giving us an opportunity as a community to come together to celebrate the life, light, legacy, and liberating love of Chadwick Boseman, an amazing gift to our time who presented his life in such a way that all of us are the richer because he passed our way.

Thank you, Roland, for blessing us so that somehow we are able to gain even from this loss as we ponder and reflect upon his life and his legacy. There's a wonderful passage of scripture found in the book of Jeremiah and there in the 15th chapter in the middle of the ninth verse, it simply says that her son has gone down while it is yet day. What an appropriate scripture, a scripture that speaks of a terrible experience of one who had so much potential and possibility. And yet, in the midst of life, death came rudely interrupting. I think all of us will agree that 2020 has been a year from hell. And yet, the other day when we received the shocking, sad news of the loss of Chadwick Bozeman, it became more hellified and heartbreaking. After all, how could one who gave us so much life as he brought to life iconic, inspiring heroes, Jackie Robinson, Thurgood Marshall, the godfather of soul, James Brown, and now he has been snatched from us by death.

One who gave life to characters and gave us life in the process has been suddenly snatched from us by this ugly thing called death. Chadwick Bozeman is no longer with us in body. And yet the beautiful thing is, as the text says, her son has gone down, her S-U-N has gone down while it is yet day. That's a terrible thing right there, because it simply says that the sun in the midst of doing what it was gifted to do, the scintillating sun with all of its radiance bringing light and life to all who benefit from the presence of the sun, suddenly is overcome by a darkness, a darkness that has snatched the light away from us. And my sisters and brothers, I testify to you,

that's exactly how I felt when I got news that Chadwick Boseman, the age of 43, had been snatched from us. And of course, that left us in the darkness of heartbreak and the darkness of grief and sorrow, added to the darkness of what 2020 has already been. You'll agree with me, this has been one dark year. 2020 has been the year from hell. It's become more hellified and heartbreaking with this devastating news about the loss of Chadwick Boseman. It is devastating. After all, when you

think of the fact it's loss on top of loss, we have lost so many giants who have blessed our lives during this year. And we've heard their names called even tonight from John Lewis to John Thompson, not to mention Kobe Bryant. We can call the role of those whose lives have been snatched by police misconduct. This has been a very dark year. After all, we've had to deal with COVID-19 being mismanaged by COVID-45. And then all of that has been magnified by our experience as a people who deal with the consistent virus of COVID-16-19. COVID-16-19 reminds us that we live in the darkness of a nation that was, to remix scripture, born in white supremacy and shaped by racism. This is a dark time in which we find ourselves.

And yet, my sisters and brothers, as we think of the darkness that we are now experiencing of sorrow and grief. Don't forget, the text says that her son, her S-U-N, has gone down while it is yet day. And if you've ever seen a sunset, you recognize that even a premature sunset, after you no longer can see the beauty of the radiant scintillating sun, yet a glow remains the sky. The sky is still a glow, though you cannot see the sun. And so that is the good news I leave all of us with. And that is, even though his sun has set far too early, if you look into the sky of eternity, I promise you, and the sky of his legacy, the good news is you can see a glow. His legacy of light and love and liberation, a glow.

His legacy of knowing exactly who he was. Thank you, Bishop Barber, for leaving this for me because you recognize that in that iconic and moving matchless movie, The Black Panther, one of the themes is the power of identity because when you know who you are, no one else can tell you who you are. And at the end of the movie, when they are in the hood in Oakland and T'Challa

is talking about how he is going to invest in the community and as a consequence, transform it, a young brother walks up to T'Challa and listen to what the young brother says. He raises the question, who are you? Of course, T'Challa already had that answer because earlier in the movie, you recall after his dad, T'Chaka, had been killed, he was not automatically given the throne. He had to endure challenges in order to receive the throne. That's a sermon right there. No throne just comes to you. You have to endure challenges to get to the throne. That's a sermon right there. No throne just comes to you. You have to endure challenges to get to your throne. And of course, he is challenged by M'Baku.

And when M'Baku comes to challenge him at one point during the fight, all of us know M'Baku is winning the fight. And he has T'Challa in a bear hug, the vice-like grip of a bear hug. It looks like T'Challa is about to lose when all of a sudden his mother, played by the regal and resplendent Angela Bassett, yells out, show him who you are. And of course, he responds by saying, I am T'Challa, son of T'Chaka. And that was the breakthrough at his breaking point that set him on the path to the purpose that he had been divinely designed for by the ancestors and by our great God. He becomes the Black Panther. He becomes King of Wakanda. Why? Because he heard his mama and responded to her admonition when she said, show him who you are. That is exactly

what Chadwick is saying to us as we deal with the darkness of this time. Yes, his legacy has left a glow, the skyline of our lives. If we just remember to show this nation who we are, to show each other who we are, to show white supremacy who we are, if we do that, we'll discover that we learned these lessons from T'Challa. We learned lesson number one, and that is the measure of your life is never its duration, but its donation. You see,

it's not about the quantity of your years, but the quality of your years. Our beloved late brother, Martin Luther King Jr. put it like this in his last speech, longevity has its place, but I'm not concerned about that now. I just want to do God's will. Hear Martin King in essence saying that in this life that it's not how long you live, but how well you live. And think about it. We've lost some great ones this year. They did not live long, but they did live well. As a consequence of living well, we can say we lost Kobe and Chadwick in their 40s. We lost both. We not only lost Kobe and Chadwick in their 40s, we lost Martin and Malcolm in their 30s, not to mention our Messiah, Jesus Christ, at the age of 33. But all of them let us know that in this

life, a long life is not good enough, but a good life is always long enough. And so the measure of your life is not how long you live, it's how well you live. It's not its duration, but its donation. But then also, Chadwick says to all of us, as I see the sky aglow with his legacy and lessons from his legacy, he shares with us that you can, here it is, overcome your private battles off stage as long as you keep fighting for your community and giving life on stage. Is that not what he did for us? We did not know that he was fighting a death-dealing disease. We did not know that he had been captured by cancer because he kept on fighting anyhow. And of course, he testified during that majestic oration when he gave the commencement speech at Howard University in 2018, that while walking across the campus of HU, watch it, he ran into Muhammad Ali.

He's just a student. He's having a hard day. But listen to what he says. Ali gave him that look of wanting to fight, put his fist up, and Chadwick did the same thing. But he interpreted that moment, that experience, by saying that Muhammad Ali was transferring to me, fight in me. I like that because he recognized that all of us have a responsibility to fight if we are going to win. He fought a private battle in order for us to experience public victories as a community. All of us have that responsibility because all of us are going to fight some private battles. All of us are going to have our own difficult days. No wonder our beloved Langston Hughes incarnated the wisdom and ungrammatical profundity of a mother as she says to her son,

well, son, I tell you, life for me ain't been no crystal stair. It's had tacks and it's splinters, boards torn up, places with no carpet on the floor bare. But all the while, I's been climbing on, reaching landings, turning corners, and sometimes going in the dark where there ain't been no lights. So boy, don't you quit now. Don't you sit down on them steps because you find it's kind of hard. I still climbing. I still going in life. life for me ain't been no crystal stair. If y'all didn't feel Langston Hughes, then maybe you can feel Shakespeare. Since we're talking about a great thespian, when Hamlet says to be or not to be, that is the question. Whether tis nobler in the mind to suffer from the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune,

or to take arms against the sea of troubles and by opposing in them. What are they saying? They're saying you've got to overcome your private battles in order for the community to experience a public victory. We've got public victories that we've got to fight for. We've got to fight for victories during this 2020 election. We've got to fight for victories that will economically empower our community. After all, I guess the last thing I'll say about Chadwick, and that is when you are, here it is, captivated by your conscience, it will make you conscious so you will never compromise your convictions, and it will always benefit your community.

That's the last thing I'll say about my man Chadwick, because he testified right there at Howard during that commencement speech that he had already won a role on a soap opera. He did not give away the soap opera. And they gave him a role that was somewhat stereotypical. But guess what Chadwick said? He went in to talk about that role and he spoke about that role to the persons in power and gave them some insight as to how they could enhance the role and make the role better the next day. He got word that they were going in another direction. And because they went in another direction, he discovered that sometimes God uses other folks rejecting us to redirect us. I'll give

it to you like this. Their rejection is for our redirection. I'm glad that he was rejected because if he had not been rejected, he may have been lost in a stereotypical role right there that had demeaned his talent. And he may have been stuck in soap opera land, but because he was rejected, he was redirected, and that put him on a path toward purpose, and that path led him to play Thurgood Marshall, James Brown, Jackie Robinson. It set him up to play, no, to become our superhero, both on screen and off stage. Why? Because he simply had convictions. And one poet puts it like this,

"'Many a somebody who fell in the line "'became a nobody in almost no time. "'Anyone can follow what the crowds do, "'but I'm somebody, how about you? "'Everybody's doing it, nuh-uh, not yet. "'I'm somebody, don't you forget. "'Anyone with courage to see what's true "'is bound to'm somebody, don't you forget, anyone with courage to see what's true is bound to be somebody. How about you? Chadwick had convictions because he was a man with a conscience

who was conscious and would not compromise his convictions, let alone his community. And he was redirected on a path toward a higher purpose. And the good news is even though his sun has set too early, please recognize when the sun sets over here, it gives way to a sunrise on the other side. What is sunset on our side of the world is a sunrise on the other side of the world. And we all know that sunrise is greater

than sunset. And because of his hookup with the son of God, the good news is the other day when he made his exit from earth to eternity, it was not death. It was simply a transition to transition, a triumphant transition to the other side. His son has gone down while it is yet day. But the good news is our lives, the skyline of our lives are aglow with the lessons from his liberating light and legacy. And those lessons let us know in the final analysis, and that is sunset on this side gives way to sunrise on the other side. God rest the soul and the spirit of Chadwick Boseman. He closed out by saying Wakanda forever. I got to remix it. Chadwick Boseman

forever. Frederick Douglas Haynes III. We certainly appreciate it, sir. Thank you so very much. Gerald Albright, Alpha. Freddie Haynes, Alpha. Might as well play Will Packer. Here's a recollection of Chadwick Boseman. Having a chance to sit down and get to know

Chadwick, I'll tell you, one of the things that stands out is what you see is what you get. There wasn't a lot of pretense with the brother. And that was refreshing in an industry that is all about superficiality and all about pretense. He was a good brother. He was somebody that was going to work hard. And it's inspirational to look at how, as he played some of the biggest Black icons in our history, he has now transcended to becoming an icon himself. And this is a town that's all about what have you done now, today? Not your last successes, not what you did yesterday. What have you done today? That can be very draining. If you're not in Hollywood, you may not realize the toll that it takes on folks in the industry, especially on actors. And so now as we know everything that he was going through, but to watch him go through

that with a focus, a determination, and very often a smile, it makes me think that we could all learn a lot from him and the way he lived his life. Many of us that aren't going through the same thing that he was going through. Could we treat people a little bit differently? Could we live our lives in a better way? I think we certainly could. And without question, that's a big part of his legacy. Thank you, my brother. Here's a comedian, Sinbad. Hey, my name is Sinbad,

and I'm doing this in honor of my friend Chadwick Boseman. When I say my friend, I've only met him twice in my life. It's not like we had a relationship. But he's one of those brothers, even though he's like 20 years longer than me, 21 years younger than me, that had an influence on me. So we end up calling him friend, even though you don't really know him that way. But you feel like you know him because of what he brought to you. Not just from the movies. The movies is one aspect of his life that's what i love about when the entertainer is at

another level whereas beyond making movies is what you say it's your statements his life like lebron james with sports but the statement he makes in life when he builds high schools and and schools i mean it's like that um i'm so impressed with this young man. I feel cheated. I feel 2020 has cheated us out of so much, but I really feel cheated on this young man because he was at the beginning of the mountain. What he was about to bring us, what he was about to do for us, the influence he was going to have. I mean, Black Panther, let's go with everybody. Black Panther changed the world as far as how a Black movie could be perceived. Like he once said, white kids want to be the Black Panther. That's when you've gone to the next level. You've gone to the next level.

But for me, my favorite movie was James Brown. He made me feel, I said, Jesus, he caught James Brown. But if you guys are feeling like I'm feeling, all I can say is God must have a plan. I don't understand. Well, we don't really understand God, do we? But he really got me on that one. He's, God, you're taking the best ones. You're taking the best ones. So to his family, his wife, kids, all those that loved him, you, we say this so much, but you will be sorely missed, my brother. But thank you for having been here. And thank you, Howard University, for educating this man. And thank you, Denzel Washington, for sending him.

And thank you, Felicia Rashad, for calling Denzel Washington. Thank you. Thank you, Marvel, for taking a calling Denzel Washington. Thank you. Thank you Marvel for taking a chance on this movie. Thank you. Thank you Ryan Coogler. Thank everybody that was in that path and thank everybody that's going to do great things because of meeting him and being touched by him.

Man, miss you bro. Miss you brother. Like you said, Howard University forever. And I'd even go there. That's how much you affected me. Howard University forever. Take care. The last tweet Chadwick Boseman sent out was on August 11th.

And that was a tweet emphasizing folks to vote for fellow Howard Bison, Kamala Harris. Hashtag when we all vote, hashtag vote 2020. And so it's fitting to hear a word or hear a song from LaTosha Brown. Of course, she is the co-founder of Black Voters Matter. She joins us right now. LaTosha, take it away. Hi, Roland. Thank you.

I just want to, you know, we have, we are in shock with what has happened, his brother transitioning. But I think about not just what he was doing, but who he was being. You know, watch those interviews where he was going into the hospital and ministering to other cancer patients, knowing he himself was battling that. Like that takes some, that's some kind of spirit of a man, you know, and all weekend I was thinking about it. I was thinking about it because even in my own life, cancer took my mother four years ago. And so I'm, I'm, you know, I felt like I was reliving some of that in terms of this man being so young,

but what he brought forth, the interesting thing about him, and as I get ready to share this song, something came to me when there's this one scene in the Black Panther that I saw all of his stuff because I loved him, you know, but I loved him not just because of his acting skills. There's a certain kind of spirit. There's a certain kind of spirit that people bring to not just even the character, but you know who they are. Like, they embody that, and he was an embodiment of that spirit. And so there's a scene in the Black Panther when he crosses over and he's actually gone

to meet the ancestors. He's walking with the ancestors. And so I thought about this, that this weekend. And so there's a song that my grandmother used to sing that I wanna share in tribute to him. Some of y'all may have heard this. I'm quite sure if you're in the Deep South. Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm through me Lord won't you walk with me walk with me Lord

walk with me all along this teacher's journey I want Jesus just to walk with me Oh Lord, walk with me. Be my friend, Lord. Won't you be my friend?

Be my friend, Lord. Be my prayer All along this Teacher's journey I want Jesus Just to walk with me. Lord. And we even take this moment now in the spirit of our brother Chadwick to the others that we've lost that are also walking with their ancestors,

that those of us that are here in this family, I just pray for their peace and their comfort in this moment, that as we are walking on this teacher's journey, that we learn from the legacy of what he left behind to leave everything that God has given us our gift to inspire the world and move the world. Mm-hmm. Oh.

Mm-hmm. Walk with me, Lord. Oh, walk with me, Lord Walk with me, yeah Walk with me, Lord I need you to walk with me As I want this Jesus' name I want Jesus

To walk with me In the midnight hour Lord Yeah, in the midnight hour, Lord, walk with me, Lord. Walk with me. Walk with me, Lord. Walk with me, Lord. Walk with me. In that spirit, I just want to share, thank you, Roland, for allowing me to be a part of this tribute.

I hope that we walk just as that brother walked, that we walk with the Lord, that we walk in this space of our power, remembering who we are, and that this election where we're talking about voting, that we're voting not necessarily just for a candidate, but we're voting for us. We're voting for our ancestors,

that we are literally voting, that our community can get what it needs, that we can literally reduce the harm in our community, that we stand in that space of remembering who we are. And yes, it is important because we do have power. Thank you, Roland. We certainly appreciate it, LaTosha Brown. Thank you so very much. Folks, I told you earlier when we were at Howard University, when we were there in 2017, when Marshall, it was a Q&A, it was a Q&A for Marshall. And it was the first time that Chadwick Boseman had returned to Howard University since he had graduated in 2000.

And he was absolutely blown away by the reaction. So I just want to show y'all the reaction, but also I was going through my video archives and totally forgot, didn't even realize the video captured us backstage, him talking about how those students made him feel. Watch this. That was crazy. It was insane. It was literally insane. I was like, what's happening right now? They were mad. I'm like was like hold on we got the ending that was way more than I would normally do I would never do that

yeah that was crazy and so don't go back go back I There's one more piece to it. Good with it, baby. Always good. Oh, man, that was, that was, that was. I'm going to have to record it. And we recorded it all. We got it. I know.

I'll see you in a link. And after that, we went to a great dinner here in D.C. I want to thank Damani Brewington as well as Rachel Ettler. They sent us a couple of those videos. We had our camera, but they shot a couple of different scenes as well. And so, folks, we're almost done with this Chadwick Boseman tribute. So many different people have been, of course, just sharing their thoughts and perspectives with regards to him. One of the folks who sent us a video, I want to go ahead and play that right now, was actor Brian White.

Let me know, guys, if you see the video, if you see it right now. He shared his thoughts, Brian, as well as Omari Hartwick. We're going to play those for you right now. I read a quote, and I'm not 100% sure if Chadwick said it, but it was about him standing before God on his judgment day, having no talent left, because he used everything that God gave him. And for me, that crystallized why I appreciated him as a human being so much. Because he lived every single moment of his life without fear because he knew his purpose, his God-given purpose. And in his own words, wanted to empty his vessel before the end of his journey

to fulfill that blessing, which is life. And that just really motivates me. Just squeeze every moment out of this thing, this time, this limited time that we all have. Thank you, Chadwick, for sharing yourself, for making us be able to connect with the characters you played in a very uncommon and very powerful and very effortless way that transcended even what they were able to accomplish in their lives by the way you were able to tell their story. And thank you for showing us what real living can be all about when you recognize the gifts that God has given you. Amen. Rest in power, King. Saxophonist Mike Phillips.

Hey. What can I say? 2020 has been kind of like this guy right here. This is what I consider 2020 Thanos. And we've had some people kind of like snapped away. But now you look at this right here um influenced all of my sons you know and that our at a point where we didn't have um black superheroes and to kind of like show the power of the marvel universe and making sure that these images are out here.

It's extremely important. So, man, you look at my sons. Come here, Tyson. Come here. This is what Black Panther is about, reuniting and uniting the Black family so we can understand the power of something that's going to be so iconic for years to come. So, Roland, thank you for this forum. Also, thank you for, you know, letting us know the greatness of Chadwick

and also how much it can influence these young guys right here to be superhero themselves, whether it's going to be the superhero athlete, doctor, lawyer, pediatrician. Them seeing these images of Black power and strength is going to be something that's going to shape their lives forever. I certainly appreciate it, my brother. Great words, brother. Thank you so very much. Another good friend of Chadwick Boseman was Amari Hartwick, and he shared these words with us.

Speak up. There are these moments, these moments in your life, in your journey, no matter your age, no matter your gender, ethnicity, creed, religious beliefs, adversity or the reception of joy or beautiful news, moments of metaphorical or symbolic inspiration or actual inspiration. And I never try to lock on to the moments too much because you can get stuck in those moments and find yourself not really navigating beyond them. pain first and foremost, anger, confusion, loneliness, a coldness. When on the 28th of August in this year of 2020, where seemingly the only power of 2020 vision or essence has been that of God because none of us can quite put together in a mathematical equation or any kind of summation or hypotheses what the heck is going on in this year that will undoubtedly go down in history as a year we've never had prior.

And in this one moment within that year of learning of the passing of a dear friend a brother who happened to be a king born as such in the beautiful South where I was born he being from South Carolina from a beautiful parent base and his mother and father and me being born in Georgia and then learning that he was as much as he was born into beauty and into purpose and high high level ordainment much of which we can't even comprehend in the mortal space he was now leaving us in the flesh. And again, that moment rocked me, and it made me immediately equally celebrate what we got as a people,

as a respective colleague and peer and brother, friend of his, within our industry of filmmaking, what we got equally, being around him, being able to learn from him, learn with him, share with him. And it made me feel a sense of pride and joy that our paths had crossed, that path crossed in the latter parts of 2007 excuse me 2000 yeah no 2007 when Chadwick auditioned me for an independent film of which never went but upon the ending or the completion of the audition when he asked

me you know who my agent was of course as an actor being auditioned by this young filmmaker fresh out of film school Howard University I was under the assumption he was asking in terms of just sort of shouting me out and in the audition or liking enough of whatever I did in the audition to ask who helped me and soon come within a year of that of that question I learned that he was an actor, and in fact, a hellified actor, and took on my agent. Actually, as I left that agent, Chadwick went to the agent, almost like clockwork.

And so I felt forever connected to him. Whenever we would see each other, there was a bond immediately. And it maintained itself. I always count myself lucky and stated such in my honoring of him the morning after he passed away. In stating that, I was simply honored, can't say it beyond that word. I was honored to be a competitor and of course I meant that of being able to compete for roles with him or in that pool of small number of African-American actors our age who are competing for a

very minuscule or minimized number of roles because of Chadwick being who he was and his power that he was able to exemplify within this space of characters portrayed that actually lived in an iconic manner. That being Jackie Robinson, Thurgood Marshall, James Brown, and then of course King T'Challa and Ryan Coogler and Marvel's beautiful turn of Black Panther, which his performance, of course, was nothing short of brilliant. I was simply honored to be in the conversation whenever there was a conversation at the tables and talking about the genius that this man possessed

in a very similar way to LeBron James stating the same when the untimely death of Kobe Bryant in a very similar way to LeBron James stating the same when the untimely death of Kobe Bryant in a very similar tragic way occurred. And LeBron being able to say, I honor the fact that I was able to compete with you. Analogous to sport, which our objective world of art is not that of sport, but equally it was such an honor, man, to be able to be in the same room even, and mention, even if not literally, just in mention or utterance with a guy like Chad who again I love from the moment I met him I felt his power his nobility

from the moment we met and he was able to beautifully insert that surplan it implemented in every single role he played to the T. Speaking of the T, seven years, number of completion from the moment that the film Jackie Robinson came out, where he beautifully got down and honored Jackie Robinson, and then ironically passing on Jackie Robinson's day of honor and getting down on that film with our mutual friend and sister and that being Nicole Bahari in 2013 it gets released and in 2020 in flesh he gets released and brought back to to the heavens where God is smiling and crowning him a new crown an even bigger crown a brighter crown for the king of all kings and that being my brother. I just got to say I honor you, Chadwick.

I honor your parents, man. I honor you, Simone, the beloved wife and partner in art and in love and in timeless nature to your king. And that being Chadwick, I honor you, Simone, and whatever you would ever need from me and my tribe. I had the honor of meeting you that night, of course, at the New York premiere of Black Panther, and whatever you would ever need from us, please don't hesitate to just ask,

but a phone call away. And of course, I honor you, Chadwick, what you did, man. Again, there's nothing short of genius. In seven years, again, the number of completion, what you created, an art, an indelible mark left in footprint, like dinosaurs leaving footprint on this earth, bro. You just did it. You did it like no other.

And the explosion of what God can create in such a brevity of moment, and then call it Chadwick Boseman and his career, and for us all to be able to celebrate that forever I mean you are just immortalized and I'm just super honored to be asked by TV One by Roland Martin and by fellow producers to just lend whatever I have to to share and what my experiences are and having known Chad and having honored him and having walked you know next to him side by side and being a colleague appear again a fellow african-american male actor who was able to say you know Chadwick had crossed my

path and and I was honored and crossing his and so we were tight and we always we always acknowledged each other and I appreciate that. You know, I think about this movie that, ironically, I just watched last night and one character asked the other character, am I going to die? And, of course, the character who was asked the question, he looked at the character who asked the question and he said, absolutely, sure you are, of course, but that's not the question. The question is, will they tell great stories about you when you die? And Chadwick, brother, some of the best stories. In 43 very brief but very long, powerful, potent, incomparable years on this thing called Earth, yours are the stories of legend, of iconic proportion.

And I'm just super, super honored again, humble and proud to be a part of your journey, to have been asked to speak a bit on it again. It's such an honor. Chadwick, rest in peace. You king, you man, you husband, you son, you uncle, you friend, you cousin, you grandson, you colleague, you brother. God bless you, man. Peace, guys. Your final thoughts. Thank you, Roland, for putting this together. Thank you for allowing me to bear witness and be here with you. And I'll leave with this.

You know, when Ryan Cooney was asked, where did y'all get this Wakanda salute from? And he said, you know, we got it from the pharaohs of Africa, and we got it because the cross symbol in American sign language means either hug or love. So Brother Chadwick Boseman, a scholar, a student of Africa and African people on the continent and the diaspora, who brought all of that craft out of South Carolina with his strong family ties and roots, who then learned the craft with some of the great master teachers of the black college tradition and alongside women and men who grew with him, bonded with him, and then who, as we heard earlier, the ancestors guided to channel them. Iconic figures. When we see him cross there, that's not just Wakanda forever in the movie. That is a symbol of ancestral repose. This is the way the pharaohs were buried. This is a symbol that means life. And when I saw him there with you, Roland,

backstage in that green room at Crampton, been there many times, and he had that ankh on, Chad Bozeman often wore the ankh. The ankh is a symbol, A-N-K-H, or A-N-H in hieroglyphs. It simply means life. He will live on, brother. Thank you for doing this, Roland. It was one hell of a life, 43 years, Chadwick Boseman. It was always great to be able to meet him. We had so many tributes. I didn't even play my interviews. We'll play them the rest of the week, the Jackie Robinson 42 interview,

the Q&As we did with Marshall, as well as the Get On Up interview. But, of course, I remember somebody reminded me and I was on this week with ABC and I mentioned Black Panther and I hit them with this here on the air. Folks, folks love that. It was it was great to know him. Great to see him that night after we left Crampton, we went to dinner. Reggie Hutland, Chadwick, and other folks. And we had an unbelievable conversation. And it really was the only long conversation. What people don't realize is very few times in this business,

we really get to spend time with people and have deep conversations. We normally have passed each other in backstages or in airports and have very short conversations. It was great to have the opportunity to communicate with Chad. We would text back and forth, and he was simply a great brother. And I was contemplating how we wanted to end this, and so I reached out to my dear friend Kirk Whalum, and he is an amazing rendition of Precious Lord,

and he gave us permission to use this and so we're gonna close this tribute to Chadwick Boseman out with this precious Lord take my hand by Kirk Whalum Chadwick we love you you miss you and prayers for your family as they move on without you. ¦ ¶¶ ¦ ¶¶ ¦ A-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha- Thank you. ¶¶ © transcript Emily Beynon Bye. Thank you. Thank you. I know a lot of cops. They get asked all the time, have you ever had to shoot your gun? Sometimes the answer is yes. But there's a company dedicated to a future

where the answer will always be no. This is Absolute Season 1, Taser Incorporated. I get right back there and it's bad. Listen to Absolute Season 1, Taser Incorporated on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. I'm Clayton English. I'm Greg Lott. And this is Season 2 of the War on Drugs podcast. Yes, sir.

Last year, a lot of the problems of the drug war. This year, a lot of the biggest names in music and sports. This kind of star-studded a little bit, man. We met them at their homes. We met them at their recording studios. Stories matter, and it brings a face to them. It makes it real. It really does.

It makes it real. Listen to new episodes of the War on Drugs podcast season two on the iHeartRadio app, Apple podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. I always had to be so good no one could ignore me. Carve my path with data and drive. But some people only see who I am on paper. The paper ceiling. The limitations from degree screens to stereotypes that are holding back over 70 million stars. Workers skilled through alternative routes rather than a bachelor's degree. It's time for skills to speak for themselves. Find resources for breaking through barriers at taylorpapersceiling.org.

Brought to you by Opportunity at Work and the Ad Council. This is an iHeart Podcast.