Chadwick Boseman: Appreciate what God has brought you through.
Chadwick Boseman: Sometimes you need to get knocked down before you
can really figure out what your fight is and how you need to fight it.
Chadwick Boseman lived passionately until the end. He knew what he wanted to do and while he
had the strength within, he never let hardship hold him back. From humble beginnings, he clawed
out his path to success until becoming one of the most recognizable actors of his generation.
He wanted to be a writer and director and began heading toward this path in
his teenage years when he began to write plays.
But life sometimes swings people in a slightly different direction, so he went to acting school.
After graduating he had a hard time getting roles. And when he finally got a shot,
his opportunity was taken because people weren’t ready for his honesty.
As a black man, he endured racism and misrepresentation in media,
and when he spoke out about these things the executives didn’t like it.
But he stayed true to himself anyway. And that is what allowed him to build a stellar career,
playing important real-life and fictional figures until getting to arguably
the highest point of his career: playing T’challa, the Black Panther.
The first movie from the Marvel Cinematic Universe lead by a black superhero.
Boseman did a great job and captivated the hearts of countless fans around the world.
People mesmerized by his charisma and what the character represents.
What no one knew was that during most of his run as Black Panther Chadwick
was fighting against cancer. He kept the disease a secret and continued to play various roles.
He went through a strenuous training routine and exhausting set hours while doing chemo and
surgeries. He was in a lot of pain, but what he wanted to share with the world was his joy.
Hist talent.
His willingness to speak for the ones who needed the most.
His purpose was greater than everything he had to endure.
And so he found the strength within himself to overcome his limits
and become a real-life hero until the very end,
Chadwick Boseman:To be young, gifted and black. We all know what it's like
to be told that there is not a place for you to be featured. Yet you are young, gifted and black.
We know what it's like to be told to say there's not a screen for you to be featured on, a stage
for you to be featured on. We know what it's like to be the tail and not the head. We know what it's
like to be beneath and not above. And that is what we went to work with every day because we knew,
not that we would be around during award season and that it would make a billion dollars but
we knew that we had something special that we wanted to give the world that we could
be full human beings in the roles that we were playing. That we could create a world
that exemplified a world that we wanted to see. We knew that we had something that we wanted to give
and to come to work with every day and to solve problems with this group of people every day with
this director. That is something that I wish all actors would get the opportunity to experience.
If you get to experience that you will be a fulfilled artist. Now the question of...
the question of. you know. we would be around... don't give me the music.The question of would we
be around during award season, I just have to say, you know, it's a pleasure to be celebrated by you,
to be loved by you and one thing I do know what did it change the industry. I know that
you can't have a black panther now without a two on it. So we love you, and we celebrate.
The world is mean and full of prejudice but people are still fighting.
They are fighting so things are a little better for whoever comes after them.
They are fighting so people aren’t hurt because of the color of their skin.
Look at all who came before you.
What did they do through pain so you could do it easily today?
What is your purpose?
What will you fight for?
Whatever it is you have to learn to take a beating because life will come at you.
When you go after what you want you have to persist.
Keep fighting until what is yours is yours.
Chadwick Boseman: I thought of Ali in the middle of the yard.
It is the elder years. Drawing from his victories and his losses. At that moment, I realized
something new about this... the greatness of Ali and how he carried his crown. I realized that he
was transferring something to me on that day. He was transferring the spirit of the fighter in me.
He was transferring the spirit of the fighter to me. He was transferring the spirit of the fighter
to me. Sometimes you need to feel the pain and sting of defeat to activate the real passion and
purpose that God predestined inside of you. God says in Jeremiah I know the plans I have for you.
Plans to prosper you and not to harm you. Plans to give you hope and a future.
Chadwick Boseman: You would rather find purpose than a job or career. Purpose crosses disciplines.
Purpose is an essential element of you. It is the reason you are on the planet at this
particular time in history. Your very existence is wrapped up in the things you are here to fulfill.
Whatever you choose for a career path, remember the struggles along the way are only meant to
shape you for your purpose. When I dared to challenge the system that would relegate us to
victims and stereotypes with no clear historical backgrounds, no hopes, and talents. When I
questioned that method of portrayal a different path opened up for me, the path to my destiny.
When God has something for you, It doesn't matter who stands against it. God will move someone who
is holding you back away from the door and put someone there who will open it for you.
If it's meant for you.
I don't know what your future is. But if you are willing to take the harder way.
The more complicated one. The one with more failures at first than successes.
The one that has ultimately proven to have more meaning, more victory,
more glory, that you will not regret it. Now, this is your time.
Now is your time.
Don’t waste it.
You have a job to do.
You got to honor your dream.
Life goes by so fast. For some faster than for others.
In the end, what matters is not how much time you have, but what you do with it.
Life is too precious for you to just sit idly by.
There are dreams waiting to be conquered.
Things waiting to be said.
A purpose waiting to be executed.
Do your part. Do your best.
Life is not forever, but the trail you leave behind when you live your purpose is.