Both the beginning and ending of "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever" were so masterfully done that as I watched on-screen flashbacks of Chadwick Boseman portraying the fictional King T'Challa, tears started flowing down my cheeks.
I cried for the loss of Boseman, a talented actor who was way too young when he died in 2020 of colon cancer, and for the loss of King T'Challa. They weren't just an actor and a character to me — they represented Black excellence. Howard University, my beloved alma mater, last year named its school of fine arts after Boseman, a 2000 graduate. I know it sounds corny, but as I sat in that dark theater this week, I made the Wakanda salute with my fists crossed against my chest.
To African Americans like me, "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever" is much more than a Marvel Studios fantasy action flick.
