Thousands sign petition to have Chadwick Boseman statue replace Confederate memorial

A petition to erect a statue of Chadwick Boseman in the place of a confederate memorial in the late actor's hometown has received thousands of signatures.

So far, nearly 13,000 people have supported the online campaign, which would see the monument in downtown Anderson, South Carolina, removed and replaced with a statue of the Black Panther star.

Addressing the Mayor of Anderson, Terence Roberts, the petition reads: “The Confederate Monument belongs in a museum but has no right to be displayed there.

Read more: Black Panther director pays touching tribute to Chadwick Boseman

“I believe the community should come together to honor someone from Anderson, South Carolina, that was able to change the movie industry. 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 Anderson County Museum should be the permanent home to the Confederate Monument. It should be accompanied by the history of the monument and the reasoning for its relocation.”

The moment, which is 118 years old, was defaced with orange paint in June this year.

Boseman died on Friday at the age of 43, after a four-year battle with colon cancer, which he had kept private from fans.

The announcement of his death, via his official Twitter account, has become the most-liked post of all time, with over 7.5 million likes.

Twitter marked the occasion with a retweet.

The Marvel studio cast Boseman as King T'Challa, aka Black Panther, first in Captain America: Civil War, and then in the solo Black Panther movie, Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame.

He was also celebrated for roles in movies like 42, Marshall, 21 Bridges and Spike Lee's Da 5 Bloods.

His final movie, Ma Rainey's Black Bottom, based on the play of the same name, will be released posthumously.