Simone Ledward Boseman, the widow of actor Chadwick Boseman, issued an impassioned plea for individuals to get screened for colon cancer, as she accepted an award on her husband’s behalf at last Saturday’s (March 27) 2021 National Association for the Advancement of Colored People Image Awards.

Boseman, who passed last August at age 43, after succumbing to his private battle with colon cancer, was posthumously awarded two NAACP Image Awards this year. He was recognised as outstanding supporting actor for his work in Netflix’s Da 5 Bloods and outstanding actor in a motion picture for Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, also from the streaming service.

While accepting the latter award, Ledward Boseman used her time onscreen to advocate for cancer awareness.

“As always, he would give all honour and glory to the most high God. He would thank his Mom and Dad, and he would give honour to the ancestors as we now honour him,” Ledward Boseman began.

“Thank you NAACP Image Awards for always giving him his flowers. He was an uncommon artist and an even more uncommon person, but the manner in which we lost him is not uncommon at all, not in our communities.”

Ledward Boseman continued by citing recent statistics which suggest that Black people are 20 per cent more likely to be diagnosed with colon cancer and 40 per cent more likely to die from it.

She noted that the routine screening age for the disease has recently been lowered to 45 and therefore urged viewers: “If you are 45 years of age or older, please get screened. Don’t put it off any longer.”

She added: “This disease is beatable if you catch it in its early stages, so you don’t have any time to waste, even if you have no family history and even if you think that nothing is wrong. If you are younger than 45, please be proactive about your health. Know the signs and know your body — listen to your body.”

The legacy of Chadwick Boseman continues to live on. Earlier this month, the actor was awarded a Golden Globe for best actor in a motion picture -drama. He is also a favourite to win Best Actor at the 93rd Academy Award, set to take place on April 25.