The cast of A Different World is still showing off their Hillman College pride – 35 years later.
A few notable sitcom alums reunited for a national tour of historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs). During their latest stop in Washington, D.C., hosted by Howard College, they made an appearance at the White House to meet Vice President Kamala Harris and Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre.
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The Grio’s April Ryan shared a snippet of their White House visit on Instagram, which included Jean-Pierre leading the cast in a sing-along of the show’s iconic theme. While the show featured three different arrangements of the song across its six season run — with Phoebe Snow performing it in the first season and Boyz II Men stepping in for the final — the group opted for the version featured throughout the majority of the sitcom’s run, sung by the Queen of Soul herself, Aretha Franklin.
The tour, which kicked off on Feb. 29 in Georgia, features A Different World alums Darryl M. Bell (Ron Johnson); Charnele Brown (Kimberly Reese); Jasmine Guy (Whitley Gilbert-Wayne); Kadeem Hardison (Dwayne Wayne); Dawnn Lewis (Jaleesa Vinson-Taylor); Cree Summer (Winifred Brooks); Glynn Turman (Col. Bradford Taylor); and Sinbad (Walter Oakes). The stars are joined by producers Debbie Allen and Susan Fales.
Per the tour’s official website, the purpose of their reunion goes far beyond “nostalgia.” The tour’s goal is to raise scholarship funds at participating HBCUs. “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,” says a statement from the group.
A spin-off of The Cosby Show, A Different World initially follows second eldest Huxtable child Denise (Lisa Bonet) after she leaves home to attend Hillman College, a fictional historically Black university in Virginia. There she meets an eclectic group of schoolmates. Bonet departed the series after the first season when she became pregnant with daughter Zoë Kravitz (the now-disgraced series creator Bill Cosby reportedly objected to the idea of a pregnant Denise). Still, the sitcom ran for six seasons between 1987 and 1993, refocusing to center Guy’s Whitley and Hardison’s Dwayne.
