Howard University Naming College of Fine Arts After Alumnus Chadwick Boseman

August will mark one year since the tragic passing of Chadwick Boseman, the beloved actor best known for playing the titular role in Black Panther. Since Boseman died of cancer last year, many of his friends and colleagues have paid tribute to him in various ways. This week, the news broke that his alma mater, Howard University, would be doing something extra special in the late actor's honor. They have decided to name their College of Fine Arts after Boseman. The news was shared earlier today on Boseman's Instagram account.

"Howard University 1997- University students, led by a young Chad Boseman, protest the collapse of the College of Fine Arts during a multi-day demonstration in the administration building. Years later, Chadwick and other alumni would continue to advocate for reinstatement of the College of Fine Arts," the post begins. "2018- Chadwick Boseman returns to Howard as Commencement Speaker, and President Wayne A.I. Frederick announces plans to re-establish the College of Fine Arts as an independent college."

The post continues, "Just two weeks ago it was announced that the inimitable @phyliciarashad will serve as Dean of the new College of Fine Arts, and today we are pleased to announce that the re-established college will be named in honor of our king. Chad, you exemplify Howard's core values of excellence, leadership, service, and truth. There is no one more deserving of such an honor. We are so proud of you, we love you, and we miss you every day. Congratulations to all the future students of the Chadwick A. Boseman College of Fine Arts! Special thanks to @howard1867 @huprez17 @phyliciarashad and to #BobIger @disney for leading fundraising efforts." You can view the post below:

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A post shared by Chadwick Boseman (@chadwickboseman)

Recently, it was announced that the Black Panther sequel is still in the works. Marvel has decided that they will not be replacing Boseman in the franchise nor will they be using CGI to recreate his likeness. Lupita Nyong'o, who will be returning for the sequel to play Nakia, recently talked about the upcoming movie with Yahoo!. She spoke about Ryan Coogler's retooling the story after the loss of Boseman.

"People will ask me, 'Are you excited to go back?' Excitement isn't the word. I feel like I'm in a very pensive and meditative state when it comes to Black Panther 2. His passing is still extremely raw for me," Nyong'o shared. "And I can't even begin to imagine what it will be like to step on set and not have him there... But at the same time we have a leader in Ryan, who feels very much like we do, who feels the loss in a very, very real way as well."

"And his idea, the way which he has reshaped the second movie is so respectful of the loss we've all experienced as a cast and as a world," she added. "So it feels spiritually and emotionally correct to do this. And hopefully, what I do look forward to, is getting back together and honoring what he started with us and holding his light through it. Because he left us a lot of light that we're still going to be bathing in. I know that for sure."

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is expected to hit theaters on July 8, 2022. You can currently stream the first Black Panther on Disney+.