R.I.P CHADWICK BOSEMAN 

 The untimely death of actor Chadwick Boseman, whose portrayal of the Marvel Cinematic Universe superhero "Black Panther" marked a major turning point for African American actors, shocked and sadden fans around the world including many here Bethune-Cookman University.

Beside his role as a superhero, he will be remembered for his portrayals of icons including baseball great Jackie Robinson in "42" and singer James Brown in "Get on Up."

Wildcats shared their reaction to the news about Boseman, 43, who died Aug. 28 after battling colon cancer for four years. 

By Rene White

"The lord giveth and the lord taketh away"- Job 1:21

"An actor from one of the most influential black superhero movies has recently passed on due to colon cancer. This man has done more for the hopes and dreams of the future black men today than ever before. This was the first time in history where a black man was a superhero in a film and was not a sidekick but the main character.

"The movie made a major impact on the Black community and the upcoming youth. Chadwick Boseman, also known as T'challa from 'Black Panther,' will be greatly missed by his fans and by 'Black Panther' lovers across the nation.

"I went to view the movie when it made its first debut into cinemas across the nation, and it was very inspirational and made me feel like I could overcome any obstacle just like T'challa did. He was not just a warrior in the movie but he was a warrior in real life as well.

"The movie 'Black Panther' personally resonated with me seeing that most of the verbiage was in my native South African tongues. Zulu and Isixhosa were added to the movie and created a beautiful touch to the movie, and made my heart leap as I heard some of the American and British actors try to speak my native languages. Language is the closest thing we have to the heart as humans so hearing my mother tongues spoken in the movie made me connect to the movie and the characters even more.

"It may not seem like much but the movie left a major impact on my heart and an even more serious impact on my emotional state after finding out that T'challa passed away. I believe that the movie was a beautiful legacy that was left behind for young black men who are fully devoted to collecting comics and marvel movies. This movie was a story taken from a comic written by a successful black man and a powerful author and was turned into a movie about a successful black man and warrior. This teaches all black men and women how to appreciate their unknown heritage with pride and maybe their known heritage as well as seeing that the movie made a large impact on individuals in the motherland as well.

"This movie also painted a different picture of what Africa looks like for the younger generations. In the movie, Africa is depicted as a civilized nation with updated technological advancements unknown to the rest of the nation. This skews the common belief that Africa is an underdeveloped country with no worth, this is a notion that was previously forced on the generations before the current youth today.

"Through this movie, the youth will see the value that Africa has and will look beyond its shortcomings and will have a different perspective than their grandparents or parents have. This movie was amazing. It will be loved by everyone across the world indefinitely and many more people will get the chance to see Africa as a continent of substance and wealth.

" 'Black Panther' and the other roles of the strong women that were featured in the movie such as Angela Bassett as T'challa's mother shows the young black women their value and the power and strength that they hold as a girl, woman, and a future mother.

"All the cast members did an amazing job of ensuring that the future will be black and that it can be black. This movie instilled hope in many people including myself and has given mothers and children hope that they can be beautiful and powerful like T'challa's mother. It also gave black boys hope that they can be strong and brave like T'challa and can overcome anything."

Caitlin Still:

"Chadwick Boseman was a great actor. Not only was he good in Black Panther, but he also did great in other leading roles. Roles including '21 Bridges,' '42,' 'Get OnUp,' 'Marshall' and the recent Avengers movies.

" His acting didn't really impact me. It was the speeches he would give at graduations that really motivated me."

Harmony Bienemy:

"The premier of the movie "Black Panther" was such an amazing moment for us. For years there have been so many different superheroes, but no representation for us. My first time watching 'Black Panther,' I was so excited. My whole family was so excited because we finally had a movie for us to relate to. I remember thinking, " Wow, we finally have a black hero, and he's from the motherland!" Overall, it was a very important time for us. There is finally someone that we can look up to as a superhero.

"Losing Mr. Chadwick Boseman hurt a lot of us. Hearing about his passing seemed unreal. It was hard to accept that he was gone. Many of us have not even met him or know him personally, but he was a huge part of our lives. Not only is he the first black hero, he has played many roles including Jackie Robinson, James Brown and Thurgood Marshall.

"Many might wonder, " how do you miss someone you never knew?", but the things he has done and achieved while he was here shows enough for us to miss him. He was our hero.

"Outside of acting, he changed a lot of people's lives. He inspired kids who were battling cancer. Little did we know he was being an inspiration to them while battling it himself. He showed true heroism in his life. We knew nothing about his personal battles in life. He didn't let it show. He worked hard despite what he was going through. He will forever be remembered and all he has done will forever be cherished."

Tayara Rhynes: " 'Black Panther' is such a powerful and encouraging movie that expressed Afro-Futurism. This movie allowed the empowerment of African Americans. It defied the odds and reinforced the idea that we are powerful.

" 'Black Panther' teaches our youth what the world thinks is negative--our skin-- is our greatest strength. Not only that, the movie empowered our women as well. Our women were soldiers fighting alongside the king.

"With the passing of Chadwick Boseman, we lost one of our idols. He represented black excellence. He showed how Black men are well-educated, strong and are worth a lot."

Kaitlyn Hale: "The day I found out Chadwick Boseman passed away it was just a shock and disbelief of another black bling falling, I still don't believe it to this day because he was one of the great black actors in the industry.

"Boseman played in several movies and also played in two great historic black people movies such as James Brown in 'Get in Up' and Jackie Robinson in '42.'

"I've watched all those movies and fell in love with each of them. I love super hero movies anyway but when I heard 'Black Panther' was coming out that everyone who participated in the film were black so I was extremely excited.

"Boseman doing the movie 'Black Panther' brought inspiration and great dreams to everyone in the black community.