Chadwick Boseman’s wife gives emotional speech accepting late husband’s Gotham Award

Chadwick Boseman’s wife Simone Ledward Boseman accepted her late husband’s Actor Tribute award at this year’s Gotham Awards on Monday night. She shared an emotional speech in her first time speaking publicly since the actor’s death this summer.

Boseman, who died in August at the age of 43 after his private battle with colon cancer, received the award for his role in the Netflix film Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom.

Ledward Boseman’s speech tugged at viewers’ heartstrings as she described her husband as the most honest person she’s ever met explained he “actively searched for [honesty], in himself, those around him and the moment.”

“The truth can be a very easy thing for the self to avoid. But if one does not live in truth, then it's impossible to live life with a divine purpose for your life,” she said. "So it became how he lived his life, day in and day out. Imperfect but determined. He developed his understanding of what it meant to be the one, the none and the all."

She continued, “He was blessed to live many lives within his concentrated one. He developed his understanding of what it meant to be the one, the none and the all. 'A vessel to be poured into and out of,' he'd said."

"He harnessed the power of letting go, and letting God's love shine through,” she said of the actor. “He realized that when one is able to recognize that when their strength does not come from themself, they rarely mess up. That's what he was doing when he was acting. Modelling for us a path to true fulfillment."

"May we not let his conviction be in vain. May our spirits be fertile soil for God's wisdom to fall upon. So thank you. Praise God," Ledward Boseman added.

She said that it was “an honour to receive this award on behalf of my husband,” and said that the award was “an acknowledgment of not only his profound work but of his impact on this industry and this world.”

She began to cry as she said, “Chad, thank you. I love you. I am so proud of you. Keep shining your light on us. Thank you.” 

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Boseman was also nominated for the Best Actor Gotham Award but lost to Riz Ahmed, who won for playing a drummer in Sound of Metal. He paid homage to the late actor on Monday night in his acceptance speech. "I want to thank all the other nominees for their work and inspiration, in particular Chadwick Boseman," Ahmed said. "I found his work to be truly inspiring in the way he conducted himself with such dignity and such humanity, to be an example for all of us."

Boseman's Ma Rainey's Black Bottom costar, Viola Davis, received the Actress Tribute award at this year's Gotham Awards. In December, Davis opened up about her experience working alongside Boseman in the Netflix film with  etalk’s Sonia Beeksma. Davis plays the “Mother of Blues,” who was one of the first blues artists to record her work, in the film adaptation of August Wilson’s 1984 play.

Davis told Sonia that Boseman (who plays a trumpeter named Levee in his final film role) was able to go on set and serve the role, leaving it all on the floor everyday. “Oh my god, it’s unbelievable what he was able to achieve while he was going through this sort of devastating diagnosis in terms of probably what his body was going through,” she said. “In terms of emotionally what he was going through, but he was able to channel all of that into an amazing performance and a performance that served the role, that wasn’t about his pain or whatever he was going through.”

“Someone who literally served what August Wilson left on his page, and he left it all on the floor,” Davis added.

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