Following the shocking death of 43-year-old ‘Black Panther’ star Chadwick Boseman, Democratic Party supporters quickly capitalized on his final tweet, in which the actor backed Kamala Harris.
While most tweets reacting to Boseman’s death have focused on his interaction with fans, charity work, and acting career, which spanned from being a central part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe to playing historical figures like Jackie Robinson and James Brown, agenda-driven activists have essentially turned his passing into a campaign ad for Joe Biden and Kamala Harris’ presidential ticket.
The final tweet released from Boseman’s Twitter account before his passing was a picture of the actor with Sen. Harris (D-California), who is now the Democratic Party’s vice presidential nominee. The tweet was captioned with “YES” and the hashtags “Vote2020” and “WhenWeAllVote.”
YES @KamalaHarris! ??????#WhenWeAllVote#Vote2020pic.twitter.com/iOU3duBAcA
Supporters of Biden’s ticket have spread the tweet like wildfire across social media and capitalized on the endorsement.
“The Black Panther’s last Tweet is a picture of himself with Democratic Vice Presidential candidate Kamala Harris, with the hashtag #WhenWeAllVote. Let’s take his words to heart & vote for a #BidenHarrisLandslide,” the anti-Trump account Truth Matters tweeted on Saturday.
While that user did not even wait 24 hours after the ‘Get on Up’ actor’s passing, others had swooped in much earlier.
“Chadwick Boseman knew he was dying (people with terminal cancer are not surprised when the end is near) and he CHOSE to make his last tweet about this election and Kamala Harris in particular,” activist Manjula Ray tweeted, adding it was not “immoral” to highlight Boseman’s politics so soon after his death.
Others similarly pointed out the tweet and pushed back against criticism.
Chadwick Boseman’s final tweet. https://t.co/bhgzINqni5
His last tweet https://t.co/aSyVaQCSv9
The ?’s are upset because Chadwick Boseman’s last tweet was in support of Kamala Harris.I am absolutely disgusted by their behavior online tonight.They have no class, and their compassionless sociopathy rivals the MAGAts.
Chadwick Boseman’s last tweet was YES! @Kamala Harris. Maybe that’s why no one in the Trump administration has bothered to honor the passing of this great American actor pic.twitter.com/gG4MNQyIVN
Meanwhile, critics blasted the politicization as disrespectful.
“If you are using Chadwick Boseman‘s death right now, to push a political agenda to get people to vote for Joe Biden or Kamala Harris you are a s**t human being,” activist Ashley Stevens tweeted.
If you joke about Chadwick Boseman’s death or use it to further your political agenda in anyway, kindly go jump off the Empire State Building
Nothing is lower than white liberals immediately using the death of Chadwick Boseman to push their political agenda of amplifying Kamala Harris.
You are a different type of disgusting if you use Chadwick Boseman’s last tweet as a way to convince people to vote for Joe Biden and Kamala Harris right now. His death is a very traumatic moment for millions of people, not a political tool.
There has understandably been a flood of reactions to Boseman’s death – who fought colon cancer for years – and despite more political reactions not being inspired to change course by criticism, others have already had to reverse course in their coverage of the event.
Entertainment website Screen Rant quickly published a story in light of Boseman’s passing theorizing about what could happen to the ‘Black Panther’ franchise now that their lead actor is gone. After a wave of critiques calling the post inappropriate and ill-timed, the website pulled the story and issued an apology on Twitter.
Following the tragic loss of Chadwick Boseman, an article went up on @screenrant overnight that was well-intentioned but was not respectful to the trauma and heartbreak we are all feeling in this moment. This should not have happened and it has been removed. We are sorry.
I will NEVER forget this, @screenrant. pic.twitter.com/l6LKD5YFgH
It appears that speculating on the future of Boseman’s work has been deemed more offensive than blasting his image around as a prop to help in a presidential election.
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