‘A Different World’ cast launches HBCU tour to fund scholarships and increase enrollment

CNN
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After 35 years, the cast of “A Different World” reunited for a tour of historically black colleges and universities to increase enrollment and raise money for scholarships for current and future students.

“A Different World” is a spin-off of “The Cosby Show” that follows Dennis Huxtable, played by Lisa Bonet, attending Hillman College, a fictional HBCU in Virginia.

“A Different World HBCU College Tour 2024” began Thursday at the Atlanta University Center, where the cast visited Spelman College, Clark Atlanta University and Morehouse College.

Cast members for the tour include Jasmine Guy, Kadeem Hardison, Dawn Lewis, Glynn Turman, Cree Summer, Charnelle Brown, and Darryl Bell.

Bell, who played Ron Johnson on the sitcom, helped organize the tour. He told CNN he sees the campus visit as an opportunity to honor the program’s tradition and introduce a new generation to HBCUs.

“For all of us involved in the show, not a day goes by that someone doesn’t come up to us and say, ‘I went to an HBCU because I watched ‘Different Worlds,'” Bell said.

Bell told CNN it’s important for young Black students to consider attending HBCUs. Because not only do they get a great education, they also get a special sense of family.

“HBCUs have produced some of our greatest leaders, our greatest minds, and our greatest thinkers,” Bell said, adding that at HBCUs “there is a more personal investment.”

Notable HBCU alumni include Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Kamala Harris, Spike Lee, Oprah Winfrey, Thurgood Marshall, Samuel L. Jackson, and Booker T. Washington.

After the cast visited Spelman, university president Helen Gale said: Posted in X Since several buildings on campus were used to depict the fictional Hillman College in the film, “it made sense that they would choose to start their HBCU college tour at Spelman.”

According to CNN affiliate WXIA, “A Different World” is also known for tackling difficult and controversial topics, and students had the opportunity to ask the cast about their experience filming the show during a Q&A session.

Kadeem Hardison, who played Dwayne Wayne on the show, recalled one of his favorite episodes that tackled race relations.

“We got into a racially tense altercation with some white people and they put us in jail,” Hardison told the audience. “And there was some good talk, good listening, and good dialogue between all of us. And what it showed is that if we listen, we can go even further. Listening to people and trying to see it from their perspective helps you understand them better.”

Bell told CNN she was amazed at the influence the show and the fictional Hillman College had on students attending HBCUs.

“The only sad thing about ‘A Different World’ is that so often people come up and say they want to apply to Hillman. And I’m sorry, but I think that’s where you can draw the line. Hillman is not real. Hillman You can go to Hampton, you can go to Howard, there are some other options. But Hillman is not on that list,” Bell told CNN. Ta.

According to the National Center for Education Statistics, HBCU enrollment increased by 26% between 1976 and 1994. But officials said “virtually all the increases occurred between 1986 and 1994.”

“Isekai” aired from 1987 to 1993.

In April, he plans to visit Howard University, Alabama State University, and Tuskegee University. Throughout the tour, students will be invited to participate in seminars on financial literacy, career coaching, and networking. The performers will also conduct voter registration drives on campus to increase citizen participation in the lead-up to the 2024 elections.

“It’s essential that black, brown and poor people are registered to vote and have their voices heard,” Bell told CNN.

He said the tour has also received requests to visit several predominantly white universities.

“Some of our largest schools, although not HBCUs, have large African American and Hispanic communities that want to engage with our content,” he said.

So far, the tour has raised $50,000 for scholarships and has set a goal of raising $1 million by the end of the tour.

But ultimately, the tour is meant to inspire future generations to keep the legacy of HBCUs alive, even if it’s a fictional college like Hillman College, Bell said.

“The important thing is to get the opportunity and pave the way for a career,” he said.