Chadwick Boseman honored Anderson, "It is only natural that his hometown honors what he did,"

 Chadwick Boseman honored Anderson, "It is only natural that his hometown honors what he did,".

Thousands are lobbying to replace a Confederate monument with a statue honoring actor Chadwick Boseman, who recently died after a private battle with cancer, in his hometown of Anderson, South Carolina.

At least two petitions circulating on Change.org are asking local and state officials to erect a public memorial commemorating the beloved actor near the county courthouse in Anderson.

Nearly 63,000 signed one petition and 54,000 people signed another as of Thursday afternoon.

"Mr. Boseman is without question an American treasure and his accolades go on and on. It is only fitting that his work is honored in the same place that birthed him," wrote Anderson University Student DeAndre Weaver, who started one of the petitions.

A second petition, created by a user identified as "Anderson Citizen," has also gained traction.

“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," it read.

That petition goes on to state that it’s not aiming to destroy the existing monument, a Confederate soldier standing atop a platform, but rather relocating it to a local museum.

“It is beyond time for its retirement. The Anderson County Museum should be the permanent home to the Confederate Monument," the petition's authors wrote. "It should be accompanied by the history of the monument and the reasoning for its relocation. It should preserve history, but not honor the ideals for which the Confederacy stood.”

Both petitions, directed toward Anderson Mayor Terence Roberts, South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster and the state legislature, also addressed the Heritage Act, which governs the memorial's removal with a two-thirds vote by the state legislature.

“I hope that the government of South Carolina see that the fate of said statues should be in the people's hands, not just government officials,” one of the petition stated.