The cast of “A Different World” is celebrating the 35th anniversary of the show by launching a ten-city HBCU tour. The news broke exclusively on People Friday afternoon. The tour is slated to start on February 29th in Atlanta, featuring a stop in the AUC which comprises Morehouse, Spelman, Clark Atlanta, and Morris Brown. The complete tour dates will be announced shortly. The cast is set to visit Washington DC (hosted by Howard University) and Montgomery, Alabama (hosted by Alabama State University and Tuskegee University).
Darryl M. Bell (Ronald ‘Ron’ Johnson), Charnele Brown (Kimberly ‘Kim’ Reese), Jasmine Guy (Whitley Marion Gilbert Wayne), Kadeem Hardison (Dwayne Cleophus Wayne), Dawnn Lewis (Jaleesa Vinson Taylor), Cree Summer (Winifred ‘Freddie’ Brooks), Glynn Turman (Col. Bradford ‘Brad’ Taylor), and Sinbad (Walter Oakes) are confirmed to be featured on the tour, along with Producers Susan Fales and Debbie Allen. The tour will include panels and various events.
The website promoting the tour reads, “Our mission goes beyond nostalgia. We’re on a quest to raise awareness and enrollment for HBCUs nationwide. By leveraging the star power and cultural impact of A Different World, we aim to inspire a new generation to choose HBCUs as their academic homes. We’re not just telling a story; we’re rewriting the narrative.”
Darryl M. Bell spoke with People about the tour, saying, “The cast of A Different World has come together to celebrate our 35 year legacy and make more history with today’s HBCUs and tomorrow’s leaders!”
“A Different World” aired on NBC for six seasons, from September 24, 1987, to July 9, 1993. The show, a spin-off of The Cosby Show, focused on Denise Huxtable (played by Lisa Bonet) and the experiences of students at Hillman College, a fictitious HBCU in Virginia. Bonet later left the show and Debbie Allen took over, changing the show to focus more on the HBCU experience than a specific character. The show was a hit during its run, consistently rating amongst the most viewed shows on television during it’s run.
The show also led to an increase in enrollment at HBCUs. According to an article by Diverse Education in 2016, American higher education saw a growth of 16.8% from the premiere of The Cosby Show in 1984 until the conclusion of A Different World in 1993. Concurrently, HBCUs experienced a growth of 24.3% during this period.
Marybeth Gasman, a Professor at Rutgers University, spoke of the impact of the show on HBCU enrollment, saying, “A Different World brought HBCUs into the mainstream and presented them in very positive ways on a regular basis,” says Gasman, who is also a professor of higher education in Penn’s Graduate School of Education. “The show was made with care and demonstrated the ethos of HBCUs. Viewers got a chance to see the diversity among African-Americans.”
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