Chadwick Boseman's fans start massive signature campaign for his statue in Anderson

Black Panther star Chadwick Boseman's statue might get erected in place of a confederate sculpture in his hometown of Anderson in South Carolina.

Anderson Mayor Terence Roberts is reported to have said that the city council will look for a way to honour the late actor and it is believed that talks with an artist are already underway. This comes after a petition was started by Boseman's fans in his hometown asking for a statue to honour the Marvel actor. 

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The petition asked for Boseman's statue to be mounted in place of a confederate monument as citizens of Anderson reiterated that the civil-war era sculpture belongs in a museum and has no right to be displayed in front of the courthouse. 

"He opened many doors for many young black people with his leading roles in movies such as Black Panther or Marshall. It is only natural that his hometown honors what he did. There is no need for political controversy in this decision. The old statue need not be destroyed; however, with the engravings on the base, it is beyond time for its retirement," the petition said. 

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"Many will agree that Mr. Boseman is without question worthy of such a monument in his home town, but I would like to go a step further. I believe that Mr. Boseman is worthy of the spot that is currently occupied in the town square ... One cannot go downtown with seeing or passing by this monument."

Chadwick Boseman petition, signed by over 56,000 people so far, also urged for the abrogation of the Heritage Act that makes it illegal to remove Confederate monuments. "The Heritage Act needs to be repealed and it should be up to the citizens of the town to decide whether or not the statues remain. I hope that the government of South Carolina sees that the fate of said statues should be in the people's hands, not just government officials," the petition added. 

It further noted that Boseman's statue will only go up if it is approved by the city as well as his family. The petition is seeking two separate causes, one the removal of the confederate statue and another for replacing it with a monument of a local person. The petition added that the notion to remove the confederate monument stands regardless of its replacement with another statue.

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Boseman's demise

Chadwick Boseman died on August 28 after battling colon cancer for four years. The 43-year-old actor had kept his cancer diagnosis a secret all this long and never spoke about it publicly. According to a statement by Boseman's manager, the actor died on the night of August 28 at his home in Los Angeles with his wife and family by his side.

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