Fans gathered in Leimert Park in South Los Angeles on Saturday evening to celebrate the life of “Black Panther” actor Chadwick Boseman, who died Friday after a four-year battle with colon cancer.
About a dozen fans of the 43-year-old actor, who was most famous for his role as King T’Challa in Marvel’s first Black superhero film, met at the park, which has long been a popular gathering spot for L.A.’s Black community. The event was held by Project Islamic Hope, a Los Angeles civil rights group.
“It was so last minute, but we had to do something,” said the group’s leader Najee Ali, who was wearing a “Black Panther” T-shirt.
“Our community, locally, we lost Nipsey [Hussle] last year. We just lost Kobe [Bryant] a few months ago and now to lose Chadwick Boseman while we’re undergoing this global pandemic, which clearly has to be the worst year in everyone’s lifetime,” Ali said. “For African Americans, we’re distraught and it’s going to take a while for us to get over this because no one saw it coming.”
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