Mourning together isn’t easy in these socially distant times, but Chadwick Boseman fans will have a chance to do that on Sunday night.
Marvel’s Black Panther is set to air commercial-free on ABC at 8:00 p.m. ET on Sunday, Aug. 30. Then, immediately after the movie, ABC News will deliver a 40-minute special tribute, titled Chadwick Boseman – A Tribute for a King.
Boseman died on Friday at the age of 42 after a four-year struggle with colon cancer. The news of his death came as a shock to fans, as the Black Panther star had opted to keep his diagnosis and subsequent treatments a secret.
The Sunday evening special will, according to ABC, “celebrate Boseman’s storied life, legacy and career, and the cultural imprint he made on- and off-screen.” The network doesn’t name any participants, but the announcement promises to feature tributes from “celebrities, political figures, and fans across the world,” as well as “special words” from friends and co-stars.
Perhaps just as importantly, ABC notes that the special will “shine a light on the medical condition [Boseman] privately battled.” According to cancer.org, colon cancer is the third leading cause of deaths among women and men. And while the overall numbers have been dropping for “decades,” more than 53,000 deaths resulting from the illness are expected in 2020.
There are also racial disparities in colon cancer’s impact. The National Institute of Health’s Cancer Institute notes that colon cancer diagnoses are “higher in African Americans than in whites.” At least some of that disparity stems from systemic racial imbalances in the U.S. that, among other things, work to limit access to screenings and care for non-white communities.
Tune in to ABC on Sunday night at 8:00 p.m. ET for the commercial-free showing of Black Panther, to be followed by the tribute special, which starts at 10:20 p.m. ET.