Historically black varsity, Howard University, has announced that it has renamed its College of Fine Arts after American actor Chadwick Boseman.
Boseman, who graduated from Howard in 2000 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Directing, died in August 2020 at 43 from colon cancer.
The university also announced plans to kickstart a fundraiser for the establishment of a new, state-of-the-art building on the campus. The new facility will house the Chadwick A. Boseman College of Fine Arts, the Cathy Hughes School of Communications, its TV station, WHUT and its radio station, WHUR 96.3 FM.
Following the Oscar nominee’s death, Howard University students had Howard students circulated a petition to have the fine arts college renamed for Boseman.
Howard President Wayne A.I. Frederick said he was thinking of a way to honour the ‘Black Panther’ actor.
“We are very excited. This is the right thing to do. Chadwick’s love for Howard University was sincere, and although he did not live to see those plans through to fruition, it is my honour to ensure his legacy lives on,” Frederick said.
Boseman’s most famous movie, “Black Panther,” was produced by Marvel Studios and distributed by Walt Disney Pictures. Boseman played the movie’s lead character King T’Challa.
The film brought in more than $1.33 billion in revenue, with $700 million in the U.S. box office alone.