If you could choose any celebrity to be your college professor, who would you choose? We often see fictional stories about our favorite celebrities making appearances at our beloved HBCUs. But did you know that some celebrities have actually taught at HBCUs? Here is a list of celebrities who have taught at HBCUs.
T'Keyah Crystal Keymàh, Florida A&M University
We finally know what Raven's mom has been up to all this time: actress T'Keyah Crystal Keymàh returned to her alma mater in 2017 as the inaugural WK Kellogg Foundation Artist-in-Residence in FAMU's College of Social Sciences, Arts and Humanities (CSSAH) Theatre Program.
She has returned to the university many times, even establishing a scholarship in her name, and at the time, she saw it as a chance to give back.
Kima graduated from FAMU in 1984 with a Bachelor of Arts in Theatre and was awarded an honorary doctorate from FAMU in 2011. She gained popularity as a regular on the comedy sketch show “In Living Color.” Kima gained fame for her roles on the CBS sitcom “Cosby” and the Disney Channel sitcom “That's So Raven.”
During her residency at FAMU, Kima shared her experiences with students of the theatre department. She taught three workshops, as well as an acting for camera class. Kima also directed Pearl Cleage’s “The Nacirema Society,” the first play of Essential Theatre’s 2017-18 season.
Jason Weaver, South Carolina State University
When it comes to movie industry legends, it's impossible to leave out Jason Weaver, who has been a star for over 30 years since beginning his career as a child actor. Last fall, Weaver took to the campus of South Carolina State University to teach a master class on the entertainment industry.
“From Dreams to Screen: An SCSU Industry Insider Master Class with Jason Weaver” was a three-day workshop focused on how participants can establish and cultivate a lasting career in film and television. Weaver attended the class alongside his Drumline co-star Orlando Jones. During the master class, participants learned the ins and outs of various areas of the entertainment industry, including cinematography, costumes, makeup, CGI, editing and screenwriting. Weaver also helped students understand the ever-changing entertainment business model while instructing in scene work and technique development. The master class was held in the midst of last year's writers' and actors' strike, making it fitting for the occasion.
Weaver has a rich resume and has been involved in some of our favorite projects. He has appeared in several projects, including Jackson: An American Dream, Smart Guy, Lion, Drumline, and ATL. Weaver currently stars as Rashad Marshall on the hit drama The Chi.
Imagine Claire Huxtable as the dean of your HBCU faculty: Everyone's favorite TV mom returned to her alma mater in 2021 to take on the role of dean of Howard University's Chadwick Boseman School of the Arts.
Rashad graduated cum laude from Howard University in 1970 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts. During her time there, she was inducted into the Alpha Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority. She has taught numerous master classes at various universities and arts organizations, including Howard University. Rashad also holds the honor of being the first recipient of the Denzel Washington Professorship of Drama at Fordham University.
During his time at Howard University, donations to the fine arts program have grown significantly, including a $5.4 million gift from Netflix to establish the Chadwick A. Boseman Memorial Scholarship Endowment, which will provide a full four-year tuition scholarship to an incoming theater student.
Rashad is best known for her role as Claire Huxtable on the hit series, The Cosby Show, but she has also appeared in many other productions. Rashad has appeared in films and TV shows such as For Colored Girls, The Creed franchise, Just Right, Little Bill, and Empire. She has also appeared in a number of Broadway plays, including A Raisin in the Sun, The Wiz, Dreamgirls, and Cat on a Hot Roof.
Rashad retired as dean of the School of Fine Arts at the end of this academic year.
Christopher Pray Martin, Virginia State University
As a Virginia State University alumnus, I am jealous that this didn’t happen while I was there. Christopher “Pray” Martin of the hip-hop duo Kidn’Pray taught a hip-hop history class at Virginia State University HBCU along with Dr. Kawachi A. Clemons. Martin was a visiting professor for the 2023-24 academic year.
Martin, along with Dr. Clemons, taught students a new concept about hip hop history each week. Students learned about the importance of key elements of hip hop like DJing, the difference between rappers and MCs, and more.
Virginia State University has been a big supporter of Martin during the filming of “The 5th Element,” a hip-hop documentary featuring rapper Doug E. Fresh. Martin is also releasing a two-part documentary on the craft of documentary making.
Many of us first learned about Martin from his role in the 1990 film “House Party,” where he starred alongside fellow rapper and group member Christopher “Kid” Reed. Martin has appeared in every film in the “House Party” series, as well as other films, including “Class Act.”
In addition to being a documentarian, Martin collaborates with Kid'n Play with Reid to create The Fun House Podcast, which explores the history of hip hop and its impact on culture over the past 50 years.
