Jasmine Guy acknowledges how Bill Cosby helped shape the perception of HBCUs and hopes others do, too.
During a recent interview with Page Six, she discussed why she believes the comedian’s contributions to historically Black colleges and universities should not be marred because of his past crimes.
“I don’t know what his legacy will be, but I’m glad they brought ‘The Cosby’ show back because they took it off, and I thought that would happen to ‘A Different World’ too, but for some reason, people forget that we are a spin-off too from that show without Lisa [Bonet] being there.” Bonet was cast in the spin-off, but left after the first season when she got pregnant, as cited by Entertainment Weekly.
“So we survived that,” she continued.
Guy starred for six seasons in “A Different World” from 1987 to 1993. The cast is currently on a 10-city HBCU tour to drive enrollment and spread awareness.
“I hope his work survives, the legacy of his work. The reason we’re on an HBCU campus is because of Cosby’s idea. He’s brilliant to set it that way because he’s sending out a message without saying it, or broadcasting it.” On the show, students attended a fictional HBCU, Hillman College.
“He put HBCUs on the map,” she said while adding “especially on the West Coast. People had never heard of it because they don’t have Black colleges on the West Coast.”
At the height of Cosby’s career, he used “pull up your pants” rhetoric toward Black men, which Guy believes was the wrong approach.
“Encourage them to get their education, but don’t put down their style,” she said. “The Hip-Hop generation has its own vibe and language just like we did and they did in the 60s, and it could have been a moment for him to be more supportive than adding to that language of putting people down because they’re from the hood.”
