The Afrofuturistic Legacy of Chadwick Boseman

In an already chaotic and unprecedented era, Chadwick Boseman’s passing devastated the world. Throughout his career, Boseman made waves in a number of historical films portraying Black icons like Jackie Robinson, James Brown, and Thurgood Marshall. But his most legendary role was, of course, Black Panther -- Boseman’s performance was larger-than-life, bringing Marvel’s first Black superhero to a global audience with elegance, emotion, and power.

Boseman embodied a much-needed mainstream role model for Black children especially, filling the void in a media landscape of white superheroes. Black Panther boasted a majority Black cast, and this representation was widely celebrated by Black comic book fans, movie critics, and young viewers alike. In 2017, a year before the movie was even released, online fans started a fundraiser for a private showing for the Boys & Girls Club of Harlem, and flooded Twitter with hashtags like #BlackPantherSoLit and #WelcomeToWakanda. And over the past few days, Black parents have been posting about their children’s devastation over the loss of their hero.

Black Panther was also revolutionary in the way it revitalized the discussion of Afrofuturism in the mainstream. Described by Time Magazine as “a literary and musical movement that explores Black identity, culture, and struggles through the lens of science fiction,” Afrofuturism allows audiences to delve into the lives of Black people in different realities, freed from our society’s racism and bigotry, who use technology to become leaders. Boseman’s role as T’Challa embodies this ethos, as he rules over the futuristic African nation of Wakanda.

The success of Black Panther illustrates the need for Afrofuturistic media, especially for young Black viewers. Afrofuturism allows Black children to envision a world beyond racial bias, in which they are empowered to pursue any path and achieve any goal. This representation matters. When these children see people who look like them achieving big things, they’re able to see themselves there too. In a reality where only 3% of scientists and engineers are Black men and 2% are Black women, this empowerment is more important than ever.

Afrofuturistic media isn’t limited to Black Panther, and filmmakers are constantly finding new ways to paint transcendent, proud Blackness in their work. But Black Panther was unique in its mainstream availability -- it had a Marvel marketing budget, and played in theaters across the globe. Post-Black Panther, it is crucial that we continue to make Afrofuturistic films accessible to young Black audiences. Educational platforms like TechRow are working to level the playing field by bringing diverse, immersive films to inner city schools, allowing every child access to a bright, empowered future.

One such film is *NeuroSpeculative AfroFeminism*, available on TechRow through our partnership with Tribeca Film Institute. The series takes viewers into a futuristic Neurocosmotology lab, where Black women are inventing brain optimization products. The series illustrates the neurological and psychological impact of viewing images of empowered Black women, and products made by women of color. This film is available on TechRow’s, where parents and educators have affordable access to a diverse, inspirational catalog of media. TechRow is dedicated to sharing powerful stories about civil rights, and we know that teaching Afrofuturism and equality in the classroom equips kids with empowering representation and a passion for change.