 bring you greetings on behalf of Elizabeth City State University's Community Connections Performance and Lecture Series. We would like to thank our national endowment for the Citizens Bank, Trustee Phyllis Bosmworth, and contributions from our very own ECSU students for making this event possible. The Community Connections Performance and Lecture Series mission is to produce cultural experiences which can be enjoyed by students, faculty, staff, as well as the community at large. We are especially excited to officially welcome home our ECSU alumni for this Vikings, a different world. While our main attraction is our esteemed guest of honor, it is equally important to ensure that our discussions are guided with expertise and grace. To do just that, we have the privilege of introducing our moderator for this event, Mrs. April Woodard. April Woodard is a Hampton Roads native and one of the original hosts of Coast Live when the program launched in 2016. In 2018 and 2020, she was nominated for a Capital Emmy Award for Outstanding TV Host and Moderator. April got her start as a reporter and anchor right here at WTKRTV3 in the late 90s. April spent more than a decade as a New York-based senior correspondent for Inside Edition. There she landed one of the last interviews with Joan Rivers, reported on 9-11, and did red carpet interviews with Kanye West, Taylor Swift, Beyonce, and J-Lo. She also served as an anchor and reporter for Black Entertainment Television, hosting specials including a conversation with President Obama, Michael Jackson Forever the King, and Music Around the Globe, which was nominated for an NAACP Award. April is a visiting journalism professor at Norfolk State University and a media and marketing consultant for Favor Multimedia. As a graduate of the University of Virginia, she lives in Chesapeake with her husband, Pastor Adrian Woodard, and two children, Adrian and Alec. Please let's give us a warm, Viking welcome to the stage, Mrs. April Woodard, who will introduce our guests and serve as moderator for the evening. To the Chancellor, Dixon, thank you so much. True as bank, everyone who has me here, I am just so delighted because I, Thursday night at April Woodard's apartment, even though I went to a PWI, I have got mad history at HBCUs longer than four years, 22 years. I grew up on campus at Norfolk State University, so I know what the HBCU experience is like. But I'm telling you, I loved this show. I wanted to be on the show. I needed to be on the show, but they just couldn't make room for me. But I'm so delighted, I am so delighted to introduce our guest here tonight. Our first guest, well, he is known as Ron Johnson, but he, yeah, but he is an actor and producer and executive producer and a serial entrepreneur. Please welcome Daryl M. Bell. Wonderful. She is a Emmy nominee and NAACP Image Award winner, actor, dancer, beautiful Broadway. And she played none other than Whitley Gilbert. Please welcome Jasmine Guy. She played Jelisa Vinson. She is a singer, a Broadway actress and founder of a New Day Foundation. Dawn is over artists. She played Freddie Brook. I love the Flav, I love the Flav. Director, director, the question and answer just yet because we have got so many surprises for you and so many things in store. Before we begin, I do want to welcome the ECSU Sound of Class. That was so live, you all. And I love the shirts. Black Voters Matter, yes. Yes. Let's get out there in November, y'all, in 2024. All right, so I think we have another little surprise. I'm going to put on my glasses and make sure I get this right. So the homecoming was 1998. Let's think back to Hilton's homecoming, 1988, season two, episode seven, based on my research. And it was called The Stepping Stone, right? It was around in 1998. OK, I was because every Thursday at April Woodard or April Wilson at the Times apartment, it was a different world was on. All right, Gilbert Hall was one of the dorms. Y'all remember on Hillman's campus, yes. And I have been told that ECSU has recreated the scene. The special presentation, so at this moment, ladies and gentlemen, I introduce you to the recreation of the Gilbert Hall steppers. Viking Star, special shout out to my women of Delta Sigma Theta Soror. And where shall we begin? All right, good night. First of all, the name encompassed everything, right? So it exposed people to the world that I knew growing up because I was on a HBCU campus. But then also the viewers that may not have come back from our experiences or come from our experiences were able to have a different view of what our lives were like at HBCU. So people who were out there that didn't know anything about HBCUs and all of them. Our sororities and all of the lifestyle and everything. And it really just brought everybody together. And what I loved about each of the characters that they all had depth, they all had originality. Everybody was different. And you represented so many different people. And you spoke for so many different people. And then the other thing that I loved about it too is that there was a message. And long before, there were messages on TV like there are today. There were messages on a different world. And I appreciate you all bringing that to the audiences. And for those of us who watched, who learned vicariously through your experiences on the show, I first want to start off, I'm going to start with Dawn. Because we had lunch the other day. And I got a chance to get a little dig a little deeper into being my investigative reporter. Did you all know that Dawn Lewis wrote the theme song to a different world? Some of y'all didn't know that though. I was ready to start crying. She was about to start crying when y'all played that song for her. Because that was her first connection to a different world. I want to know about your experience on a different world and how you shared with me how you got in the door. Because first, you were a dancer, you were an artist, you're a performer, you're a singer, all of those things. And I know we all have many different talents on the stage, but I just want to know about how writing that song led to you being on the show. Well, actually writing the song and being cast on the show happened at the exact same time. And the people who did the music didn't know me as an actress or dancer. I was doing a tour of a Broadway show by the same people that cast the Cosby show and was begging for three months to let me audition. And they told me no. They finally turned around and said, would you be interested in coming in tomorrow? There's this one role we have in cast. I said, sure. An hour later, the musical director had my cassette tape. I was trying to be a recording artist and said, you wrote this music, you're singing this music, would you be interested in working with me on the theme song for a new TV series? And I thought it was a joke. So literally they happened at the exact same time when he told me it was for the spin-off of the Cosby show about Lisa Bonet going off to school starting this new chapter and what the premise of the show was. I basically wrote my story. It meant a lot to me because I was 16 when I started college. And so telling that story of the people in your life having that faith in you, propelling you forward, despite the messages of failure, of this isn't for you, of nobody wants to see you or check in for you. Me writing those words of empowerment was me regurgitating back to myself, talking to myself to go forward boldly. So to be cast in the show at the same time then my whole life has changed. So it was an honor to write that song. It's an honor that you still embrace the words and embrace the message of the song and of the show. And no, playing Jalisa has just been really an honor for all those people who haven't given up on themselves. Come on back to school. Yes. Seek out that new career. It ain't over till it's over. So God, that is blessing, blessing, blessing, blessing. Thank you so much for that. And as I was saying earlier, this show really had a profound influence on the audiences that watched it. And it exposed people to the black community, to our culture, to HBCUs. So I'm just interested in hearing what each of you all have to say just about the impact that your show still has on the people who watch it, the people who consumed it originally and who continue to watch it. You wanna start out, Kadee? Yes. I was listening. Okay, so just to refresh the audience's memory, because the audience probably wasn't, maybe the mic wasn't loud enough. So what is the impact that it has had on HBCUs and exposing people to HBCUs, as well as heightened people's awareness of the impact and how significant HBCUs are? There you go. I got you down. Just that was for y'all, because Kaysha missed it at first. Oh, they dream for a second, y'all. This is really surreal and really incredible that you guys have showed up for us and did the band and everything. It's taking me back. So impact, when we were on, we doubled the enrollment in HBCUs during the time that we were on. And what that's led to is a whole bunch of people, half a generation younger than me, coming up to me telling me that they went to school because of me, or because of us. And they love to show so much that it inspired them to further their education. And nothing could be more important. And 35 years later, they make their kids watch it. And their kids wanna go to Hillman. They think that that's a real school and they wanna go and they wanna find it. They wanna come to school with Jaleesa and yeah, Freddie and everybody. So the impact has been incredible for HBCUs and also for our lives as actors and pursuing what we love to do. But yeah, I really wasn't lost in a daydream. I was sitting here looking at everybody going, wow. And then you said, I'll start with you. Remember? That's okay. Snap, I'm listening. So that's my answer for you. Cree? Thank you. I too just wanna say thank you because that was so beautiful. Oh my beautiful freaks. Well, I just wanted to say that I grew up in Toronto by way of Saskatchewan, Canada. We didn't have any HBCUs in Canada. I had no idea what I was getting into. And it just broke my heart open to a part of black culture and black life that I would have never known anything about. So it changed me profoundly. And I got to witness and be a part of that change with everyone that approaches me. I get the sweetest little freaks that come up to me and say that because of Winifred Freddy Brooks they can let their freak flag fly and be exactly who the fuck they are without being afraid of anything. And that's what I love about it. And I just think that was one of the best parts of a different world was its inclusivity and that finally on television we were all multi-dimensional characters, not just one version of black life. So that's it. Thank you so much for that. Okay, Jasmine, it's your turn. I was just gonna say one of the things that really blessed me is that it revealed to the world that an HBCU education is not a second class education. It's an excellent education. Where to Cree's point, Khadim's point, there was a space in a lane for everyone. The intellectual nerd, the free spirit that is looking for her direction, the person that hasn't given up on themselves, the person that came from privilege but yet still has so much growing and so much learning that they crave and want to do, the young man that has a perpetual hustle where nothing will keep him down. He will figure out a way to make it happen. Come hell or high water. We had, you know, Lou Meyers as Mr. Gaines, our seasoned citizen. Yes, who's spoken to the lives of our students. We had Glenn Turman as our Colonel Taylor who were ever presenting, yes, black excellence and commitment and service to our country. There was someone for everyone. Mary Alice, who was our resident director, our leddie. I mean, there was someone for everyone and it was just beautiful to see our community, our environment that people who don't look like us are now like, whoa, but I want to go to Hillman. I want to go and be a part of this experience. That's what it did. That's what it did. It gave us our rightful light and our shine and our glow as people of color and the education that we are just amazing to have in this space, in these spaces and then some. Mike Check. Is it on? Thank you. Okay, I just wanted to say what a joy it was to be a part of a show that allowed us as artists to really go for it. A lot of times, for those of us that had done other shows before a different world, we were the only black person on the set so we had the weight of the whole race on our shoulder. And it's hard to be funny and consistent when you're always trying to be correct because when you're playing a character, people aren't correct and characters aren't correct. It's our flaws as characters that made us stronger and you get to see us as young people work through what we didn't know and learn what we didn't know and accept each other for how we were different. And I think that was an important lesson in doing a show during that particular period from 17 years old to 20, well, I was already 25 when I got the part, but you know what I'm saying? The young people's is a crucial time in our development as human beings. You're away from home for the first time. You're in a strange language. Whitley's character was very much set on what she already knew. And I tried to. I knew my job, you know? And the thing that I always loved about our ensemble is that we are very versatile and Debbie didn't underestimate us. We did deep moments. We had, we danced, we sang. We backed up Gladys Knight. But within that 30 minute period, we were real. We had a real journey and we still of course had to be funny because it was a sitcom. And I love that we were able to find humor in whatever episode they gave us. Even the most, and we had some heavy ones that were a little difficult to do like the Mommy Dearest and AIDS episode and the Right episode. So the challenge for us as actors, I think was tremendous there and we really loved watching each other nail it, you know? Watching Cree or Freddie pray for the first time. God, I don't know what I'm doing. I've never prayed before, but I think this would be a good time. I just love watching them work. I really did. So let me say with respect to HBCUs, there have been lots of other representations of HBCUs. They've been often imitated, but none have recreated the magic we had. A different world remains the preeminent representation of HBCUs in film and television full stop. One of the things that I enjoyed most, and if you wanna talk about an HBCU experience, like for first of all, I'm gonna need the band to come introduce me everywhere I go from now on. Yeah, yeah, come on. Every time I sit down for an interview, I'll be like, wait up, hit it, I need that. But one of the things that you saw that people tell you about an HBCU, one of the things they talk about a college experience is that when you go off to college, you become an adult. That as opposed to high school and grammar school where your parents take you and make you show up to class at college, they don't care if you come. At an HBCU, what we saw, I remember when Robert Guillaume played the Dean, he took the time to get Ron to try to graduate. Dwayne took the time with the students. Colonel Taylor sat down with Blair Underwood, who was playing the soldier who was about to ship off to talk to him about his experience. That is real about an HBCU. And I think we all have that to thank not only for Debbie Allen, who was a Howard alum and by a second season saw to it that we were going to make it look like an HBCU. And our head writer, Susan Fales, who was a Harvard grad, but also said we're gonna make this college experience matter. And for me, Kadeem Jasmine and I met on school days. I left college to go audition for that film. When I left school, we were protesting apartheid. My brothers in alpha, we were organizing voter registration drives. Then I went on camera to protest apartheid. It was life, art imitating life. That's what, you know, and when we got to Hillman, when it became about things that you actually experienced in college, that was the secret sauce in everything we did. Outstanding, thank you. I gotta talk about relationships because I was learning a lot about relationships when I used to watch a different world. And there was one couple that I really could relate to. Dwayne and Whitley. So I just want to know, Dwayne, this is coming to you at some point. Okay. I just wanna know, what was it like having that relationship on camera? And then what type of impact do you think it had on how people viewed what their relationship should look like or not? Mm-hmm, Jasmine? She said it was coming to me eventually. Okay, well. I'm gonna let you ladies first. I thought you were gonna talk about how you didn't like how Dwayne was written by women for women. I always said that Dwayne Wayne was the perfect man created by woman for woman. And he put up with a lot of stuff that Kadeem would have never, it wouldn't, it wouldn't fly. But there was some work, you know, we had to work on that relationship because neither one of us, well I'll speak for myself. I knew what my role was at first season and it didn't have none to do with goofy ass Dwayne Wayne. I was like, what? How does that work with her character? I was sorry, I mean, maybe she go out with an associate professor, you know? But we did talk about, okay, the things that I am playing are not necessarily attractive. They're funny, they're working, but I didn't feel like the accent was particularly attractive. I felt like her mannerisms were particularly annoying. I thought she was a classist at best. And I said, so we gotta help each other like these characters like each other. We already liked each other as people. But how are we gonna make it believable that this Southern debutant likes you? Underclassmen. Goofy. I mean, you had a little swag. You always did, yeah. But we worked on it in a way where I don't know, we kind of gave each other permission to show another side of our character. So I just decided, well, when Whitney's around Dwayne, there's a part of her that she's only showing to him. Her vulnerability, she lets that guard down because you know, after a while he's like, you know, you're not just talking to me like that. She needed some boundaries, you know? And watching them grow up together, I thought was really cute. Like I used to think, oh, I wish I had a boyfriend from high school into my 30s and we experienced, you know, growing up together. And I think that part of it was really beautiful to watch them fight for each other and come back and in and out. Sound boy, you're in trouble. Sound boy. The greatest, the best part for me was I literally had Lucille Ball to work with. Like really, the funniest, she danced, she sang, she acted, she wrote, she directed, she produced, she wrote books. I literally was in front of, and I didn't, I realized it very early, a living legend. So if she ever had a note for me, one time we had a scene, I'ma tell. We had a scene where she was coming in to my apartment and I had to kind of, you know, flirt a little bit and I wasn't hitting it. And she said, hold on, wait a minute. I'ma be Duane and you be Whitley and watch what I do. And the heat, the shit lit up. And I was like, so it's okay for me to go for it like that? And she said, yes, if we're gonna play this, then you have to go for it. And then I went for it. And then the relationship took off and it was that one day in rehearsal where she unlocked it for me. And I could always listen to her, I could always trust her. She always had the best notes, we'd have table reads and I'd read it and I'd pretty much go along with what was written until we got the stage and then I'd try to fix it in my own way. But Jasmine would read it and then say, she wouldn't say that. This is what she'd say. She wouldn't just say no, she would have a solution kind of on hand ready. And I was mostly in awe, you know what I mean? So it was easy to play like early crush and interventional love. And then some of the stuff she was doing, like I said, I was perfect man created by a woman for a woman. Some of the stuff she did really pissed me off. So it was easy to check her. It was easy to go into that look here. Don't you ever, if you tell me you are not speaking to me for a week, I drop you like a bad habit with me. And another thing, knew I was a basketball fan before you met me and you know it now. So please spare me them little dramas you perform every time I want to go to a game. Sound boy, sound boy, y'all in trouble. Y'all in trouble, sound boy. Kill the sound minds, kill the sound minds. Somebody's changing the batteries I think. Okay, well, I want to talk about friendships because I got a chance to spend some time with you all backstage and see how you all interact as you know, friends really. But did the show, and this is for Cree and Dawn, did the show ever, it highlighted the ups and downs of friendships, the good, the bad. Was there anything that you took away from the experience on set that would resonate in your personal life? Or do you have an experience on set that you want to share in regards to the friendships that you all had? We had the most amazing group of people. All of us, sometimes it's hard to get us all to focus at the same time. No, seriously, because we're enjoying each other so much, everybody's got the amazing amount of wit and humor and fast one-liners and such, and it's impossible to not respond to each other. But what we found, when it was time to work, you will not find a group of people that could be more focused, more prepared, more on point. So one of the things I learned in life is that it's okay to play hard if you're ready to work just as hard. You know what I mean? Come prepared for excellence, enjoy what you do, be a person that people enjoy being around. We really just enjoy being around each other and creating that environment that was just safe, that was just okay to be you. But then when it was time to work, we got the work done. Debbie Allen had us down to a four-day work week, which is unheard of in Hollywood. You take every single moment of every single day, every week, to try to get to the right formula, to get to the right seasoning for an episode. She was like, no, if everybody comes prepared and does what they were supposed to do, we can knock this out and have a three-day weekend. And did we not do that season after season? Because this group of people, they know how to play, but when it's time to get down to it and eat, it's time to eat, let's go so we can all catch a flight because we're going to Vegas, all right? Created? Well, this show, as far as friendships and relationships change the molecules of my life, I mean, I fell in love with Jasmine at first sight. We just became sisters immediately. I fell in love with Kadeem. He was my first true love. And I just have to say that Daryl and Dawn, all of us, we hang out with each other on purpose. Jazzy and I, our first born daughters, share a birthday. And I've worked on a lot of shows and been privileged enough to work all over the world, but these people are family, and I will keep them until I die. And that is one of the most profound gifts of a different world, that not a lot of jobs do you leave work and call somebody as soon as you get into your truck. Usually just like, chow mein, motherfuckers, but these people you want to be with. All right, see what I know now? Half of y'all are going to go home and go, chow mein, motherfuckers. You can't not respond to that. It's like, it is what it is. Just pearls, just pearls, constant pearls. I come with the proper lack of decorum. I don't want to just say bye anymore. Careful what you ask for. Y'all can't even. OK, I saw somebody with, where's the sister with the t-shirt? Relax, relate, release. Where you at? I saw you, are you out here? OK, so that happened, Jasmine. During a time when you were really feeling overwhelmed in one of the episodes. And you went to the counseling center and you got help and you started saying the phrase, relax, really, you can say it better than me. You want to go ahead and say it? Well, it came from Debbie's line, but doctors told me I needed to relax, relate, release. OK, OK. Now, first of all, doing the scene, Debbie was directing the episode, so we didn't rehearse it that much. I was usually rehearsing it with a stand-in for her. And when we did the actual taping of that scene and I saw how she was going to do it, I was like, oh, my god. I'm not going to be able to get my lines out. Her wig was crooked. She was mocking me. And I was like, what do you want me to do, doctor? You need to just relax, relate, release. And I was like, oh, god. And then I could feel that I was going to lose it. And I didn't want to have to do it over. And she was like, oh, come on, darling, get, come on. Let's get through this scene. I'm like, well, can you fix your wig? I mean, help me out. Because if I've known Debbie since I was 18, because I did fame, times. And there were a lot of times with Cree that I just couldn't look at her. I would look at her ear or her hairline. Because when you're in church and you start laughing inappropriately and you can't stop, it's painful. You're like, OK, I was just thinking about really bad things and sad things. So a lot of times we, and I would try to crack people up because Charnell Brown was immovable. I was like, I'm going to bust up Charlie. I'm going to get Kimberly Vries in this scene and no matter what I did, she would stay in character. She's so professional. So good. You know, I was like, OK, that didn't make her laugh. I'm doing even big. And I'm looking, you know, stepping fetches up there. And she's like, whatever, Jasmine, you are not breaking me. I am a professional. We had so many moments of true joy and laughter on and off camera. And everybody was funny on that show. I mean, we're working with, I mean, Glenn and Lou and Symbad. There was sometimes we'd be in the pit and Lou couldn't remember our character names. He'd be like, what the, oh, what? You Kim, Kimberly, blah, blah, blah, blah. I'm pretty old. I wouldn't be afraid if we'd be like, oh, God, if you don't say somebody's name soon. It was just a joy. It really was. A follow up to that, though, is that you were actually dealing with a mental health issue. Long before, you know, we deal with shows that deal with mental health issues now. And so, I mean, that was really groundbreaking for you all to take on that topic. And even though there were lighthearted parts of it, it still was the issue of mental health, getting counseling, seeking therapy and not being ashamed. Especially in the black community that, you know, has been taboo for us to get help. Because we're supposed to bear everything. We're supposed to bear everything. Pain, trauma, loss, divorce, where we're watching everybody else going through these things. And they need help. They need support to get through it. So that is something I didn't really think about that. It was odd for a young woman in college to go get therapy like that. And just that acceptance of it, you know, or making it funny makes it a little bit more accessible. But it was a serious issue. And she was, she didn't need to relax like release. She really did. She was just wowed like this, you know? And she's like, you know, let this man love you. Like, what is the problem? What are you complaining about? Sometimes we make up problems. Thanks. OK. I'm taking a turn now because I want to talk about some of the other issues, the serious issues. And Kadeem, you dealt with this, Terrell, as well. When you said the line, I'm an educated black man. You're a worst nightmare. And you all dealt with some racism that was going on. So, Darrell, I want you to talk. And then Kadeem, what was that episode like when you dealt with that and you really had to deal with, you know, probably something you had dealt with in your personal life before, as well? Kadeem and I talk about this all the time when people ask you what's your favorite episode, Cats and the Cradle, that's it. And what I remember most about that week were the two actors who were the white actors. Dean Cain, it was his first job ever in television before he played Superman. The other actor was really good. I mean, he was the one when they talked about, in I was written on the car, he said, how do you know he wasn't writing, have a nice day? I mean, he was cold-blooded with his. And it was hard because Dean was a friend, too. And so to play that kind of animus with him was really tricky. And so what I really liked, and Kadeem had talked about this earlier, was that the story was told Rashomon Staple. So you saw everyone's point of view, the retelling of it through their eyes, showing how people experience the same events differently, how they thought we were thugs, liars, how we thought that they were just so over the top antagonizing us. And irrespective of how the principles involved solved their differences, somebody else finished it. Somebody else finished writing it on the car. And it just shows no matter how you work, there's more work to be done. And that's why it remains our favorite episode of what we had to play the way the comment about, there's a black girl I would do. Who would say that? It was racist, sexist. It was everything as unconscionable as you could want. And this was a half-hour sitcom. But it's why when we talk about issues that remain relevant today, look at all that we still face in our community. Look at all we still face to protect the women we love. I have been arrested driving while black multiple times. It happens. So it's a similar moment. I will also say, only because you asked about a friendship, we were in school days just random. If y'all go back and watch school days. In the parade episode, Khadim and I lined up right against each other. And I can't look at Khadim really without laughing. This was his first acting job, folks. True. True. And every time we'd have to get in each other's face, because one of the hardest things to play was the fight that Ron and Dwayne had. And it took a long time. Like Khadim didn't talk to me the whole week. But in school days, I have on mirrored glasses. And Khadim would get right in my face. And I would look this way. And when I would turn that way, I would close my eyes. So I couldn't see him through the mirrored glasses. Because if I looked at him, I'd crack up because that's my man that I love. And I can't be mad at him. And it's really hard. So that speaks to how our friendship interfered with our work until I could grow up as a performer to actually do the work. It's real time. For me, casting the cradle is so great. Because for so long, I wanted to do action movies. I wanted to do love stories. I wanted to do everything. This had all of that in one episode. I got to be a little bit of thug. I got to be the smart guy. I got to do a fight scene. All of it, that care for the woman. All of that at once. So it was, come on, baby. Talk to me. I hear you. It's OK. Yes, we love baby sounds. It's the best sound. She going to go to college one day. He and she. She in the right place. So yeah, so that episode, just as an actor and watching him grow, because I was standing there with him in his first job, and he couldn't even look me in the eye. Poor thing. I was mopping the floor with him. So now I watched him grow into a point where we were standing up there together side by side, giving looks, giving attitude, playing, all of that stuff. And it's just the most fulfilling episode. I'm going to talk really fast. Kadim and I both auditioned for the role of Duane Wayne. Yes. When we left school days, we were already friends. And when the role for Duane Wayne came up, I got an audition. I called Kadim. Did you say, did you hear about it? He said, yes, I did. I got a call back. He said, me too. I said, I'm going in for producers. He said, me too. He said, they're taking me to network. He said, they're flying me to LA. I'm like, OK. So when we got to LA, I remember Kadim was the first one to go in. And all I heard was laughter. He came out. They was giving him high fives. And yeah, buddy. Yeah. And giving them all this business, right? And I walked in. And I had never auditioned for more than two people at a time. But I walked in. There was a crowd like this. I froze. It was the worst audition I ever got. Kadim gets cast in the role. Kadim lives in New York. He has to relocate to Los Angeles. He has nowhere to stay. He moves in with me on his couch. So I had to drive Kadim to work to the job I didn't get every day. And he had to pick me up afterwards and take me home. Those are facts. That is love. I just want to ask the bosses. I know we're supposed to take some questions. Is it time yet to note? Yes? Yeah, I thought so. OK, so we have microphones and individuals that have the microphones. So you don't even have to move. So just raise your hand if you want to ask a question and are lovely. While they're trying to get the microphone, I just want to thank Chancellor for receiving us here at the University. I want to thank all our partners at Truist Bank for making this happen for us. Mark, John. Thank all you all for coming out on the Thursday night. Thank you. There's some hands back in the back in the middle. Got their light on, too. They want you to, OK, there you go. There you go with it. Now we got it. First off, I would like to say Jasmine, you was my favorite character in Vampire Diaries. You was my favorite character in a different world. You was my different character in Harlem Nights. So with that being said, I feel as though you did an amazing job and I love you. But my question is, what are the steps that you have to take in order to pursue that dream? Pursue. Pursue your dream, which is acting. Everybody's going to have a different answer. Yeah, because everybody's journey is a little different. And part of the experience of any performer, it is essentially the only job for which there is no absolute requirement. You can say you are a professional actor today and you are. The only distinction is your ability to compete against your peers to get a job. So you don't have to go to school to get a job as a dancer. So you have to be competent and proficient. Now there are programs that will help train you in training matters. And to be a master craftsman at anything requires a skill set. That being said, the number one differentiator from when we started to when anyone else wants to pursue a career in performing arts now is the barrier to entrance was distribution. If you couldn't get on a network or movie studio, you couldn't be seen. Now distribution is free. YouTube, social media, Instagram, Vimeo, if you are not creating your own content, you are falling behind. What we saw today with the recreation of the different world credits, that's where you have to be. Casting now is done day and night based on how many followers you got. That happens. So there's so many folks that I know y'all follow who create content online. That matters. And I will tell you, two of the most prolific directors, writer, producers, the Duplass brothers, they talked about how they started their career. And the brother said, one brother wrote the script, the other brother got the camera and they went out and shot their first movie. And this is an adult crowd. So I can tell you what they said was, it was a hot steaming pile of shit. They went the next day and they did it again. They went the next day and they did it again and they kept getting better. The difference between those who are the most successful and those who are not, is putting in the work. Stephen King talks about there are so many writers that are infinitely more talented than him, but he goes to work from nine to five and writes every day. You are what you do every day. That's what's up. Hello everyone, my name is Katelyn Jones. I'm a sophomore criminal justice major. The question that I have is, what are some advice that you have for college students? I feel like you briefly touched on this, but. Advice for college students? We didn't hear the last part in the question. Oh yes, I said, I'm sorry. I feel like you briefly touched on this, but I would like to know some advice that you have for college students. Advice you have for college students? Anybody want? I didn't go to college. Okay. Great, great. Dawn, I can jump in, but I'd love for another voice. Advice for college students is this is a big, huge platter of opportunity and information. Take advantage of it. How many of you are here on scholarships? How many of you are here on student loans? How many of you here at college work study? Okay. So the reality is that college is very expensive. It is incredibly expensive. So if you've already made the financial investment into being here, then your responsibility is to milk this environment for everything that it is worth. Milk it for everything that it is worth. Learn a little bit of this, a little bit of that, and it gives you an opportunity to be exposed to, I'm gonna use a veritable cornucopia of information and opportunity for you to decide this is where I wanna move forward. You know what I mean? And you're in a safe environment in order to explore and express that. Cause when you get out of here, things get real real. Bills are real, eating is real, putting gas in your car is real. If you live in LA, gas is almost $7 a gallon. Gas is over $6.60 a gallon. So that's real. There's no more cover. There's no more safe landings. You are now responsible for you. So here is where you start to practice that. So as a college student and you're here, get in the habit of being responsible for you, take advantage and maximize everything that is presented to you so you can make an informed decision of where you wanna be next and how you wanna get there. I'm gonna add two seconds to that. There was a venture capitalist talking to a bunch of Stanford students. He said, none of you will have a problem finding a job because you're all gonna create the job that you want. That's facts, that's an expectation that they have. Because the Stanford engineering students get together with the Stanford law students who get together with the Stanford business students and they create companies that change the world. When you're at college, I can tell you, Robert Smith, the wealthiest black man in America, we went to college together. He was at Cornell, I was at Syracuse. You will meet people right now in this room who are your classmates, who will be the presidents and the influencers, and you will be able to pick up the phone and call them and say, hey, Viking pride, pick up the phone. That will matter. Oh, there it is, all right. Hello, I don't have a question. I don't, I love y'all so much. Like, I really don't think you understand down from season one to season six when Jada Pickett was there in season six. Okay, I know it down to the theme songs with season we on, real bad. But, I'm not singing. All right, all right. Now, so the show is still going in my head, okay? When y'all stop in season six, when you went to Kanishiwa in Korea and all that, and you was pregnant. What baby did y'all have? Did y'all have a boy or a girl? You were requested to sing the song. Really don't know all the words. It's a different. You gotta hit this shit. Which one? If you, if you- If you did shit! You quit the song before you hit this shit. She back, she back in. Is she leaving? No, she going around. Oh, she making an exit back there. Did you have a boy or a girl? I don't know if Whitley had a boy or a girl. I know what I think she would have had, but I really don't know what other people think. I think she had a boy or a son. Okay, we gon' go with that. Was he naked? Sorry, I just had to. I couldn't help myself. He came out in a tux, a little baby tux. So I'm infinity, I am a senior interdisciplinary study student, and I'm also a miss senior for the university. Hey y'all. And so my question is, how does it feel being able to see a different world now while people are using it as a reference? Like I know, I'm a TikToker. I see Whitley and Dwayne and the friendships and things like that as references, people go back and look at that. So how do you guys feel being that reference? Good question, Aina. I think we feel honored, right? Yeah, we're honored that the show is still alive 35 years later. So, thanks to you. And I think Darryl had a stat that different world hasn't stopped airing since. Different world has not been off the air since it premiered in 1987. It has been available every day since 1987. You're welcome. Kree, did you wanna say something? Cause you got the mic. Oh, I was just gonna say exactly what Kadim said. It's just such an incredible honor. You know, sometimes I walk down the street and somebody says, look at my hair. That's because of Freddie or something, you know, or what they do, you know, or I'm Ron Johnson or I'm Kadim. And, you know, it's just a legacy. And it's something that we have a lot of different jobs as actors. And this is one that we will eternally be proud of because, you know, above all in life, you wish to do no harm. And this show has simply injected love into the black community. At the conclusion, I just want to give each of you like one minute, two minute as a wrapping statement, just something to leave us with. Whoever would like to start first. I love you all. Good night. Okay, thank you very much. Thank you for all for coming. This was awesome. Thank you. I love y'all. This has been fantastic. I had to take two planes to get here. I'm not really crazy about flying, but this was well worth it. Okay. Dang, dang, dang, dang, dang. I would just like to say thank you, beautiful people so much, and chow mein, motherfucker. I love her so much. Thank you again. You guys are amazing. You guys have made what we did decades ago invaluable and precious. And you are a walking testimony that when you see it, you can be it. And it just blesses my heart that half of you weren't even born when we were on, when the show first aired. But some of you are here and you brought your children and your children's children that they are here in this room getting this experience of, you know, it's entertainment, but it's education. And I want to give a shout out to my family who lives here in the Virginia area. My 15 year old nephew is almost seven feet tall, but he's in a room now inspired by you all going to college. And no pressure, but Jay, this is where you need to be. This is where you need to be. So all of you, God bless you. Keep up the hard work. Keep up the good work. This is the, you know, what do they call it? Good trouble. We making good trouble here in Elizabeth City. Echo the gratitude. What? Thank you. And thank you for calling me my real name. I appreciate it. My mama appreciates it. Okay. We just feel your love and your spirit, your enthusiasm. Sometimes I'll speak for myself. I don't know if we're, if we still resonate. You know, I don't know if something that I did, you know, 30 years ago still resonates. And I'm so glad you shared that with us. It means a lot to me. And I am very grateful to have been a part of this show. And thank you for making me grateful for that experience. So to bring it all home, I want to tell you, we do lots of panels. We don't always get this kind of energy and love. So thank all y'all. This is really special. Those are facts. I'm also going to take a minute to thank April Woodard for coming out here and moderating. But I want y'all to know that for all of these people who I love to get here and for all the things we've done, I'm going to get up for your own Dr. Kevin Wade. Where you at? Where you at, Dr. Kevin Wade? Dr. Kevin Wade made this happen at the persistence, insistence, and tenacity of Dr. Kevin Wade. Don't y'all love when a plan come together. Viking pride! Viking pride! Viking pride! I'm going to make this real quick. I have a lot of thank yous. I want to thank Constance, Davenport, if you are out there. Thank you so much for your vocals behind the scene of us doing, recreating the video. Thank you, Truis Bank. We'll circle back to that. Truis, representatives, can you make your way to the stage for me, please? If you're out there, up this way. My career development and trio team, thank you so much for your support. Thank you, Student Affairs. Thank you, Sound of Class. Thank you, thank you, thank you. And I also like to thank Chancellor Dixon and her cabinet and my supervisor, Dr. Brown, for trusting me with this vision. I appreciate it so very much. Thank you, 1704 Media, Communications and Marketing. Everyone, thank you, thank you. Thank you. So at this time, I'd like to bring up Chancellor Dixon, as well as Dr. Brown. So we have a very special presentation. Just wanted to make sure y'all were still up. My name is Mark Johnson, Senior Vice President of Truis Bank for the Commonwealth of Virginia. It is a pleasure being in the state of Virginia and the city of Elizabeth City, North Carolina. Quickly, I have to say how I got here. I have a colleague counterpart in North Carolina. That's, this is how it works. I'm responsible for Virginia. He's responsible for North Carolina. He could not be here because his work schedule, he was overloaded this week. So give a hand to Mitch Gibson, Senior Vice President and Community Development Manager for North Carolina, for creating this opportunity for us. We did it together at Truis. We inspire and build better lives in communities. And the other saying for us is, when it starts with care, you get a different kind of bang. So we thank you so much for this opportunity to partner. Let me say, you guys are incredible. Give a hand, personally. What a journey. Thank you so much to Chancellor Dr. Kerry Dixon, her staff, amazing team. And lastly, now listen, I have my collar on today. I had to do a presentation. I had to lunch in. Some people thought I was a pastor. Yeah, I don't prophesy. But I have to say, Dr. Kevin Wayne, your gift shall make room for you and bring you before a great man. What an incredible production that you put on that came from the heart. But it also showed the talent that you have. You adjusted incredible talent. And I'm telling you, Chancellor Dixon, you should be blessed to have him on staff. He didn't pay me to say that. But after I've seen this tonight, and the cast will probably attest, we did this some odd years ago in Norfolk State. Elizabeth Sid, you put it down. So on behalf of Truis Bank, we like to present the Elizabeth City State Foundation with a check for Money Matters for $25,000. And I would be remiss. We have a one team approach. I know I'm up here speaking. But listen, we have people behind the scenes that do the work every day. And they make it happen. And they speak to clients. And they improve lives. Let me give before you, Cecilia Huff, Jeremy Bailey, Fredwick Startward, and let me see. I think that's it. Let's all get in the picture. And our foundation chair. Oh, how are you? Thank you. I'll get in the. Oh, I'll hold on to it. I can hold it. OK, hold on. Also on behalf of Truis, I partnered with this gentleman. I don't know if you've heard of this game, the HBCU trivia game. So who's the gentleman who owns this? Can you stand up? Mr. Khan, yes. Outstanding. And so as a part of this, I have five of these that I will give to Chancellor Dixon to give out to whom she wants to support African-American city of Elizabeth City and wherever you go. This is a black owned business. Who have produced this? Let's get back to basics. I know you use technology. This is back manually. This is back in my time. Let's get back to the board games. Thank you. You all so much for coming out tonight. Students, special message. If you are a student and going to midnight care, we need you to line up on this side. To get your wristband. If not, thank you all so much and have a good night.