Imagine being a student in need and finding out some of your debt was being covered by the cast of A Different World. That’s essentially what happened to the students at Southwestern Christian College—a historically Black college and university in Terrell, Texas—when the cast recently teamed up with Ford to give back.
According to ESSENCE, the cast recently cut the HBCU a $100,000 check as a scholarship donation. Freddie (Cree Summer), Whitley (Jasmine Guy), Ron (Darryl Bell) and Dwayne (Kadeem Hardison) all presented the check as part of Ford’s Ultimate Homecoming Takeover. And during a sit-down with EBONY, they reflected on the impact the show had on Black culture since its premiere.
“We had different classes, different colorings, different backgrounds, different aspirations and that’s one thing I loved about A Different World,” Jasmine Guy told EBONY. “It showed the true spirit about what being Black is, and that it is diverse within itself.”
“What was also great was that you saw different generations,” Bell added. “From the youngsters [characters] like Bumper Robinson [and] Patrick Malone, all the way to [actors] Glynn Turman, [who played Col. Taylor] and Lou Myers, who played Mr. Gaines, there was always a different point of view. So no matter what topic was discussed, it wasn’t a monolithic response; it was something that was always challenging and relevant, it was important and we managed to be funny while we did it! That’s why I think it lasted so long and stayed evergreen.”
Bell’s point can be attested by the cast of Grown-ish, who recently paid homage to the popular sitcom by recreating its opening sequence. If you missed that, you can check it out below.
