Chadwick Boseman To Deliver Howard University Commencement Address
Wakanda comes to Washington D.C.
The Black Panther, Chadwick Boseman, is returning to his alma mater to give the commencement address at Howard University in Washington D.C.
On Wednesday, the university announced the actor, who graduated in 2000 with a bachelor of fine arts degree in theater, will give the keynote address at the university’s 150th commencement ceremony on May 12. The actor will also be presented with an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters— Howard’s highest honor.
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“His recent role in the blockbuster film ‘Black Panther’ reminds us of the excellence found in the African diaspora and how places like Howard are hidden, untapped gems producing the next generation of scientists, engineers and doctors,” Howard University President Wayne Frederick said in a statement. “Mr. Boseman exemplifies the monumental heights and levels Howard graduates can achieve by using the skills and knowledge they acquired at the university.”
In February, Boseman toldChicago Tribune that the essence of Wakanda exists at the HBCU.
“It is a Wakanda to a certain degree. There is definitely a lot of T’Challa there,” he said. “If you have a blanketed idea of what it means to be of African descent and you go to Howard University, you’re meeting people from all over the diaspora — from the Caribbean, any country in Africa, in Europe. So you’re seeing people from all walks of life that look like you but they sound different.”
WATCH: Watch Chadwick Boseman Rule Over A Wakandan-Fueled ‘Saturday Night Live’