The alum spoke at Howard’s 2018 commencement ceremony.
What We Know:
- The institution renamed its performing and visual arts school after Boseman officially on Wednesday. Boseman graduated from Howard in 2000 with a B.A in directing. He earned an Academy Award nomination for his role in Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom. Boseman died in August at the age of 43 from colon cancer.
- Howard and Walt Disney Co.’s executive chairman, Bon Iger, are collaborating on a fundraiser for an endowment named after Boseman. The fundraiser will help raise money for the construction of a state-of-the-art building on the campus. The building will house Chadwick A. Boseman College of Fine Arts, the Cathy Hughes School of Communications, its TV station WHUT, and its radio station WHUR 96.3 FM. Howard students initiated a petition to have the college renamed after Boseman.
- Howard President Wayne A.I Frederick has stated that he was also thinking of a way to honor Boseman. Boseman agreed to serve on the board of the fine arts college before his death. Boseman was developing a Master’s Class series for students, according to Frederick.
- Frederick says, “it is my honor to ensure his legacy lives on.” Boseman’s 2018 film “Black Panther” accrued more than $1.33 billion in revenue. In box office receipts, the film made $700 million. Frederick met with Iger and said he made a personal donation towards the cause.
The College of Fine Arts renaming comes just weeks after Howard named actress and alumna Phylicia Rashad as the college’s dean.
