Whitley Gilbert, Dwayne Wayne, Ron Johnson and Freddie Brooks were together again Monday.
The cast members from the syndicated hit sitcom “A Different World” reunited at the Atlanta-based Home Depot’s headquarters to help award $360,000 to nine Historically Black Colleges & Universities to pay for campus renovation projects.
The $50,000 recipients were Jackson State University, Lane College and Tuskegee University.
The $40,000 recipients were the University of Arkansas Pine Bluff, Southern University and Talladega College.
The $30,000 recipients were Claflin, Fayetteville State and Livingstone universities.
A five-panel group that included actor Laz Alonso picked the winners.
HBCUs have received less philanthropic support than most colleges and universities, particularly for infrastructure and campus renovation projects.
“They haven’t been loved on and cared for as much as they needed,” Kadeem Hardison, who played Dwyane, said of the importance of such projects.
The AJC’s Radio & TV Talk: “A Different World” reunion pumps $$$ into HBCUs
The show, which featured life at Hillman College, a fictional HBCU, is credited with helping increase HBCU enrollment in the late 1980s and early 1990s.
“We need our HBCUs. The youth need our HBCUs. The elders need our HBCUs. And that’s why ‘A Different World’ was so integral. It shone a light on something we hadn’t seen highlighted before and now it’s paramount that we take care of them,” said Cree Summer, who played Freddie.
Home Depot senior marketing manager Melissa Brown said the company began the HBCU program nine years ago to support the schools in projects that are sustainable and can be done within budget.
The annual program is considered one of the largest annual philanthropic efforts for HBCUs.
Cast member Cree Summer posted this video on her Instagram page of the cast members singing a portion of the show’s theme song:
