In the event you may decide any movie star to be your professor in school, who wouldn’t it be? We frequently see hypothetical tales of a few of our favourite celebrities gracing our beloved HBCUs with their presence. However do you know some celebrities have really taught at HBCUs? Here’s a checklist of celebrities you didn’t know taught at HBCUs.
T’Keyah Crystal Keymàh, Florida A&M College
We lastly know what Raven’s mother has been doing this entire time. Actress T’Keyah Crystal Keymàh returned to her alma mater in 2017 and have become FAMU’s first W.Okay. Kellogg Basis Artist-in-Residence within the School of Social Sciences, Arts, and Humanities (CSSAH) theater program.
She has returned to the college on quite a few events and has an endowed scholarship named in her honor. On the time, she noticed this chance as an opportunity to pay it ahead.
Keymàh graduated from FAMU in 1984 with a bachelor’s diploma in theater and acquired an honorary doctorate from FAMU in 2011. She gained recognition as a daily solid member on the comedy sketch present “In Residing Colour.” Keymàh gained notoriety for her roles on the CBS sitcom “Cosby” and the Disney Channel sitcom “That’s So Raven.”
Throughout her residency at FAMU, Keymàh shared her experiences with college students within the theater division. She taught an appearing for the digital camera class along with three workshops. Keymàh additionally directed “The Nacirema Society” by Pearl Cleage, which was the primary play within the Important Theatre‘s 2017-18 season.
Jason Weaver, South Carolina State College
When speaking about legends within the movie business, we should solely embrace Jason Weaver. Since beginning as a toddler actor, he has had a profession spanning over 30 years. Final fall, Weaver joined the campus of South Carolina State College to show a masterclass on the leisure business.
“From Dream to Display screen: SCSU Trade Insider Masterclass with Jason Weaver” was a three-day workshop targeted on attendees and the best way to set up and nurture a long-lasting profession in movie and tv. Weaver was joined by Drumline co-star Orlando Jones for the category. Throughout the masterclass, attendees discovered the ins and outs of areas of the leisure business like cinematography, wardrobe, make-up, CGI, modifying, and screenwriting. Weaver additionally taught scene work and method growth whereas serving to college students perceive the ever-changing leisure enterprise mannequin. Which was becoming for the event because the masterclass happened throughout final 12 months’s writers and actors’ strike.
Weaver has an in depth resume and has labored on a few of our favourite tasks. He has appeared in a number of tasks, together with The Jackson: An American Dream, Good Man, The Lion, Drumline, and ATL. Weaver at the moment stars as Rashaad Marshall on the hit drama The Chi
Think about Claire Huxtable being the dean of your HBCU division. Everybody’s favourite TV mother returned to her alma mater in 2021 to tackle the position of dean of the Chadwick Boseman School of High quality Arts at Howard College.
Rashad graduated magna cum laude from Howard College in 1970 with a Bachelor of High quality Arts diploma. Whereas there, she was initiated into the Alpha chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. She has performed quite a few masterclasses at varied faculties, universities, and artwork organizations, together with Howard. Rashad additionally holds the excellence of being the primary recipient of the Denzel Washington Chair in Theatre at Fordham College.
Throughout her time at Howard, contributions to the wonderful arts program elevated considerably. Together with a $5.4 million donation from Netflix to determine the Chadwick A. Boseman Memorial Scholarship, which offers incoming theater college students with a scholarship that covers tuition for all 4 years.
We greatest know Rashad as Claire Huxtable on the hit sequence The Cosby Present, however she has been featured in lots of extra tasks. Rashad has appeared in movies and tv exhibits equivalent to For Coloured Ladies, The Creed Franchise, Simply Wright, Little Invoice, and Empire. She has additionally been featured in quite a lot of Broadway performs, together with A Raisin within the Solar, The Wiz, Dreamgirls, and. A Cat on a Sizzling Roof.
Rashad stepped down as dean of the College of Fine Arts on the finish of this tutorial 12 months.
Christopher ‘Play’ Martin, Virginia State College
As a Virginia State College alumna, I’m so jealous this didn’t happen whereas I used to be there. Christopher’ Play’ Martin of the hip-hop duo Child’n Play taught a hip-hop historical past class at HBCU Virginia State alongside Dr. Kawachi A. Clemons. Martin was a visitor professor for the 2023–24 college 12 months.
Martin, together with Dr. Clemons, taught college students every week a brand new idea across the historical past of hip-hop. College students discovered the significance of key parts in hip-hop just like the DJ, the distinction between a rapper and a MC, and extra.
Virginia State had been very supportive of Martin within the technique of filming his hip-hop documentary, The fifth Aspect, that includes rapper Doug E. Contemporary. Martin has additionally launched a two-part documentary in regards to the artwork of constructing a documentary.
Many people had been launched to Martin within the 1990 movie Home Occasion alongside fellow rapper and group member Christopher ‘Child’ Reid. Martin has appeared in the entire Home Occasion franchise movies and others, together with Class Act.
Along with changing into a documentarian, Martin has created The Enjoyable Home Podcast with Child’n Play with Reid. The podcast covers the historical past of hip-hop and its influence on the tradition during the last 50 years.
