Jasmine Guy — the star of “Cosby Show” spin-off “Different World” — hopes that Bill Cosby’s crimes don’t sully the good work that he did in the field of Black education.
Guy told Page Six that Cosby did important things for the Black community, one of which was helping to raise the profile of Historically Black Colleges and Universities — the 101 institutions founded before the Civil Rights Act for the education of Black Americans.
In the show, the main character Denise Huxtable attended a fictional HBCU, Hillman College.
“That was Cosby’s idea,” Guy said, “It’s brilliant to set it [there], because he’s sending out a message… He put HBCUs on the map.”
HBCU enrollment increased 26% between 1976 and 1994, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. The agency noted has noted that “virtually all of the increase occurred between 1986 and 1994.” “A Different World” aired from 1987 until 1993. Lena Waithe even named her production company “Hillman Grad.”
The 86-year-old Cosby has been accused of rape, sexual assault and sexual harassment by more than 60 women. He was jailed in 2018 for the 2004 aggravated indecent assault of Andrea Constand. He was released in 2021 after his conviction was overturned.
After 35 years the cast of “A Different World” has reunited to tour HBCUs to promote enrollment and raise scholarship funding for current and future students.
