We Need a Hero...

life is all about timing...some celebrity deaths are a footnote...not necessarily a reflection of how much they contributed...or were loved and admired...but more because they happened to die in the shadows of larger world or national events...in normal times, this might have been the case with Chadwick Boseman...people would have read it and gasped...at his young age...at the fact that he was fighting cancer while delivering incredible performances...how we never knew of his personal battle till his death...but these are not normal times...and I do not need to tell you that...this summer...the soaring temperatures...horrific storms...these have been the footnote as our country is burning and lashing out...in a state of near collapse under the weight of racism...and the denial of such...such is the agony of change...and people do not like change...and while living under the constant shadow of Covid, it is painful...so then how to we exact change...how do we cause "good trouble" that furthers greater understanding...I think there is a direct correlation between the obsession with Marvel and super heroes, and our current state of affairs...we search for the qualities of Superman...Wonder Woman...and Black Panther...in our would-be leaders...or we realize that futility, and before Covid, settled into our cushioned movie seat, armed with popcorn and the desire for pure escapism...what Chadwick Boseman gave as he became Black Panther...and he did...was a leveling of the playing field in movie representation...and for millions of children of color around the world...pride...what he gave us in his choice of biopic movie roles was an exquisite look into great, and flawed black men of the 20th century...and it saddens me to think of what else he may have shown with his talents...this summer we deal the loss of two great black men...John Lewis, and his towering contributions to the civil rights movement...and Chadwick...and his breaking the barrier of what a superhero looks like...and what that meant for all the young children who loved him through Black Panther...as we reflect on this I can only hope they are looking at this chaos we call life with benevolence...and that they use some superhero powers to exact some peace here on earth...