The College of Fine Arts of Howard University, a historically Black university, is now to be called the Chadwick A. Boseman College of Fine Arts. This is because Howard University has renamed its College of Fine Arts after late actor Chadwick Boseman. Boseman, of the Black Panther fame, died last year at age 43 following a four-year battle with colon cancer.
“Yesterday, the letters were installed over the now official Chadwick A. Boseman College of Fine Arts,” the school said in a tweet. “An icon in his own right who has left an immeasurable legacy for the next generation. Thank you, Mr. Boseman.”
Howard University, founded 1867, first announced in May that it would rename its performing and visual arts school after the ‘Black Panther’ star who also happens to be an alumnus of the school.
Boseman graduated from Howard in 2000 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in directing. During his time at the school, Boseman led a student protest against the absorption of the College of Fine Arts into the larger College of Arts & Sciences, according to the university.
In 2018, the year Boseman rose to fame as King T’Challa in the Marvel cinematic universe, the university announced that its performing and visual arts school would return to its independent status.
“Chad fought to preserve the College of Fine Arts during his matriculation at Howard and remained dedicated to the fight throughout his career, and he would be overjoyed by this development,” Boseman’s family previously said in a statement. “His time at Howard University helped shape both the man and the artist that he became, committed to truth, integrity, and a determination to transform the world through the power of storytelling.”
In addition to the renaming, the university announced efforts from Walt Disney Company’s Executive Chairman Bob Iger to establish an endowment named after Boseman and raise money to build a new arts facility on the campus. The “Black Panther” film was produced by Marvel Studios and distributed by Walt Disney Pictures.
“Through his tremendous example he inspired millions to overcome adversity, dream big and reach beyond the status quo,” Iger said in a statement back in May, “and this college named in his honor … will provide opportunities for future generations of artists to follow in his footsteps and pursue their dreams.”
