More than 58,000 fans sign petition calling for statue of Chadwick Boseman in his hometown

More than 58,800 people have signed a petition calling for a statue of the late Chadwick Boseman to be erected in his hometown in South Carolina, US.

Boseman died at his home in Los Angeles last week Friday at the age of 43 after battling colon cancer for four years.

The actor’s family shared the news on his social media pages, sparking an outpouring of grief from fellow celebrities and fans, and now thousands are calling for the Black Panther actor to be honoured with a statue in his hometown, Anderson.

“Throughout his career, he has brought to life such historical figures as James Brown, Jackie Robinson, and Thurgood Marshall. However, most notably he was known for playing T’Challa the King of Wakanda also known as the Black Panther. This film, along with his entire body of work, has uplifted and inspired many Black Americans especially during the turbulent times our nation is going through,” read the petition.
The petition was created earlier this week with a goal of 75,000 signatures.

“Mr Boseman made it a mission to give back to his community. Not only with his appearances at his alma mater Howard University but financially as well,” said the petition.

It is calling for a Boseman statue to replace the Confederate monument that has been in place since the 1900s. It specified that it is not calling for the destruction of the monument, but for it be permanently moved to a local museum.

“The monument has been placed on public land and is maintained by taxpayer dollars, so it only makes sense that the people should have a say on what goes on this land.