Howard University in Washington, D.C. announced on Wednesday that the University’s School of Fine Arts will be renamed after the late Chadwick Boseman, the actor known for portraying King T’Challa, the Black Panther. 

Boseman, a Howard University alumnus, passed away in August 2020 after a battle with colon cancer. After his death, it became public that he had been diagnosed in 2016 and battled with the disease for four years as it progressively got worse. Boseman graduated from Howard University in 2000 with a Bachelor’s of Fine Arts in directing. Prior to his death, he had agreed to serve on the board of the school of fine arts.

The renaming is a joint effort by Howard and the Walt Disney Company’s executive chairman, Bob Iger, who is contributing funds and fundraising in order to construct a new building that will house the Chadwick A. Boseman College of Fine Arts as well as the Cathy Hughes School of Communications, the university’s TV station, WHUT, and its radio station, WHUR 96.3 FM. The Walt Disney Company produces the Marvel Cinematic Universe movies, which includes Black Panther, a role that Boseman originated in live-action media.

Earlier in the month, it was announced that Phylicia Rashad was appointed as the new Dean of the school of fine arts. Rashad was one of Boseman’s professors during his time at Howard, and she became a mentor and close friend of his. 

Some of Boseman’s most prominent roles outside of Marvel include Jackie Robinson in 42, Thurgood Marshall in Marshall, and Levee Green in Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, which premiered after his death.

In many of his roles on screen, Boseman served as a role model for young Black people and a paragon of Black excellence. Through his roles and his acting acumen, he has brought not only entertainment, but also joy, solace, and hope in a time when the world needed it. Boseman is rightfully remembered as one of the greatest actors of his time, and the renaming of Howard University’s School of Fine Arts serves to further cement his legacy. 

“In times of crisis, the wise build bridges while the foolish build barriers.” – Chadwick Boseman as King T’Challa in Black Panther