Yesterday we all received the surprising news that Chadwick Boseman passed away at only 43 years old. He left behind his wife who he secretly married in 2019. She was his long time love as they dated for nearly 6 years prior to their wedding last year. She was by his side from the time of his diagnosis throughout his battle with cancer. Chadwick passed with her and his family by his side. Our prayers are with his wife, his family and friends. Today we are remembering Chadwick Boseman and celebrating him for his work.

Like most pursuing anything in the entertainment world, Chadwick’s career didn’t begin overnight. His film work spans from 2003 – 2020. Like many, he pressed through a line of rejection and obstacles to get where he was in his career. But, he couldn’t do it alone. This Howard University alumni credits Denzel Washington who later paid for Chadwick to attend Oxford to study acting for being a major help in his career.

CHADWICK CREDITS DENZEL WASHINGTON FOR PUSHING HIS CAREER FORWARD

In 2019, Boseman spoke at the American Film Institute dinner where he was able to honor Denzel Washington with a lifetime achievement award. He shared the story of receiving Denzel’s help for school during his speech and thanked him saying, “There is no Black Panther without Denzel Washington.”

In an interview with Rolling Stone Magazine Chadwick shared more of that story. Apparently, while attending Howard, his teacher Phylicia Rashad originally encouraged Chadwick to attend Oxford in the UK during a summer program. While he and friends were accepted to the program, they couldn’t afford to go. “That’s when Rashad, who played Clair Huxtable on The Cosby Show, stepped in and ‘essentially got some celebrity friends to pay for us to go,” says Chadwick.

Chadwick went on to portray some of the biggest Black ICONs our world has seen and in the process showed us “story-telling” at its finest! Those roles include Jackie Robinson, James Brown, Thurgood Marshall and the Black Panther where he made history in the world of Marvel super heroes bringing world wide inspiration and a new image of a Black superhero for the world to see.

CHADWICK’S MOST POPULAR MOVIE ROLES
While Chadwick’s most known roles were filmed in 2013, his career spanned from 2003 – 2020. View a full listing of his film contributions here. Scroll down to see highlights from several of his most known roles:

“BLACK PANTHER“

“42” (The Story of Jackie Robinson)

“THURGOOD MARSHALL”

“GET ON UP” (The Story of James Brown)

“CAPTAIN AMERICA: CIVIL WAR”

“AVENGERS INFINITY WAR”

View a full listing of Chadwick’s film contributions here.

In 2019, President Barack Obama and Michelle Obama’s production company, Higher Ground, announced their partnership with Spotify to produce podcasts exclusive to the platform. The first project in their ongoing partnership will be The Michelle Obama Podcast premiering July 29th.

The former First Lady shared that her hope for the series… “the hope is that it can be a place to explore meaningful topics together and sort through so many of the questions we’re all trying to answer in our own lives. Perhaps most of all, I hope this podcast will help listeners open up new conversations — and hard conversations — with the people who matter most to them. That’s how we can build more understanding and empathy for one another.”

Whether through the story-telling in her book release, TV appearances or via her numerous speaking engagements in and outside of her White House duties, we’re always left captivated by whatever she has to say.

It’s no surprise that she already hooked us in with her first episode featuring none other than her husband Barak Obama! After hearing this premiere episode, it’s safe to say that this podcast will be our latest addiction!”

GET A PREVIEW HERE:

The former first lady will interview several loved ones in future episodes of “The Michelle Obama Podcast,” including her mother and brother.

“You’ll also hear from many of my girlfriends, the women who’ve always been there with a shoulder to lean on, a perspective to think about, or simply an open line to vent to,” she wrote in a recent Instagram post. “In this time of social distancing, it’s more important than ever to invest in the relationships that make us who we are.”

There will be a host of non-relatives featured on the show as well. Conan O’Brien, Kristin Jones, Craig Robinson and many more are scheduled to be featured as well. Tune in on demand below only on Spotify!

STREAM THE PODCAST HERE:

Gospel legends Kirk Franklin and Fred Hammond recently teamed up for the latest ‘Verzuz’ session! But, instead of the typical battle, they turned the moment into a space for healing.

The world almost seems to be in a chaos of change lately. We are still learning how to navigate the new normal of continuing life in the middle of a pandemic. In addition, the death of George Floyd and the nationwide protests that have followed have only added to the challenges in our world today. This night of inspiration was just what we all needed.

Bishop T.D. Jakes opened the music event with words of hope:

“Darkness everywhere, seemingly everywhere,” he said. “Today we pray for light because we have seen too much darkness, from Trayvon to George Floyd. From 100K people dead from Covid … Lord knows we’ve seen too much darkness.”

Jakes continued, “I don’t know about you … but sometimes I feel like that knee is on my back and I can’t breathe. But let everything that has breath praise the lord.,” and led viewers with a prayer: “We pray back the darkness, we pray back the dark clouds … the injustice, the immorality … We pray it back out of our country, out of our world … out of minds, out of every crevice, out of every shadow, we cast you out! … Oh God, wherever there is pain, giving healing … Where ever there is despair, give hope … The joy is coming in the morning. I can hear the ticktock on the wall … We are getting closer and closer … To the morning … It will not be long until joy comes into your heart, our communities, our lives, our homes our churches. Joy is coming in the morning. And we will breathe again. Amen.”

Kirk Franklin and Fred Hammond wearing “I can’t breathe” and “I can’t breathe… again” t-shirts for their #VERZUZ battle 🖤#EricGarner #GeorgeFloyd #BlackLivesMatter pic.twitter.com/OW9rEN4IVd

— Dionne Grant (@DionneGrant) May 31, 2020

Before the tracks were played, Franklin said, “It’s been a painful week. It’s been a difficult week. We want to make it a moment of healing for you. We have 42 songs to give to you. We know the pain, we see the pain.”

WATCH THE FULL VIDEO HERE: