Wilmington Public Library will keep its trend of bringing in celebrity guest speakers to chat with the public for free going strong this fall.
The library will host a handful of events including (but not limited to) “Black-ish” star Jennifer Lewis, who recently received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. The event is Sept. 15, but registration is already full.
The next opportunity for the public to attend the library’s “Choppin’ it Up” series will be when the cast of “The Cosby Show”-spin-off “A Different World” will be in the building on Sept 29. In order to attend, guests need to register, which starts a month in advance.
Registration is available through WPL’s website starting at 9 a.m. Monday, Aug. 29. It looks like this event may fill up fast, so you may want to jump on this opportunity asap.
This “Choppin it Up” event also will be streamed live on WPL’s Facebook page. This reunion with the cast of “A Different World” will feature Jasmine Guy, Kadeem Hardison, Charlene Brown, Darryl Bell, Cree Summer and Dawnn Lewis.
Facebook: ‘I absolutely love this show’
Fans of the show blew up WPL’s Facebook page after it announced registration for this event.
“We about to have BIG FUN in WILMINGTON, with DONUTS and A DIFFERENT WORLD,” an excited person wrote.
“Awesome!! Delaware Zetas will be there to Welcome our Soror Dawnn Lewis,” a proud Zeta said.
“I absolutely love this show it is my favorite show ever!!! I’ve written essays, video assignments on the significance of this show !! 30 years later still relevant !!” an obsessed fan expressed.
“my library just has a lady who sings to kids,” an envious user wrote.
“WHO EVER IS DOING THESE EVENTS NEEDS A RAISE!” someone demanded.
What is ‘A Different World?’
“A Different World” ran from the late ‘80s until the early ‘90s and it’s currently available on HBO Max.
The sitcom shares the story of a group of Black students and their adventures and struggles at the fictional Hillman College, a historically Black college.
The show initially starred Lisa Bonet (Denise Huxtable). But after she left, it focused on the relationship between southern belle Whitley Gilbert (Guy) and her relationship with math genius Dwayne Wayne (Hardison).
At the time it aired, it presented viewers with something they weren’t used to seeing a lot on TV, which was the Black college experience.
LaTisha Mays, of Wilmington, was one of them. She said her siblings attended HBCUs at Florida A&M, Howard University, Morgan State and South Carolina State universities, but she reluctantly went to the University of Delaware because it offered her more money.
“I am eager to attend this event, simply because these actors were the reason why many of ‘us’ wanted the college experience,” Mays explained.
She added, “Their day-to-day schedules, issues, etc., made it all seem so real but attainable. We rooted for them in their lows and highs. I mean really, who didn’t want to see Whitley and Dwayne get married?”
Sitcom changed Black ‘narrative’
Jess Graham, of North Wilmington, said “A Different World” was a valuable tool to her growing up as a white person, especially since she didn’t live in the United States.
“Growing up in Canada, I watched that show a lot because I liked the characters and friend group and stories. But along the way it greatly helped inform my awareness of American Black history, civil rights issues, HBCUs, you name it,” Graham said.
She appreciated that it showed a Black community that was striving for knowledge.
“That was such valuable representation in a decade where ‘ghetto thug’ was the most common role available for male African American actors,” she added. “And as you can see, it had an impact beyond the borders of the USA.”
Wilmington native Brandy A. Osimokun said the concept of HBCUs wasn’t foreign to her growing up, because she’s the grandchild of Lillian and Vallee Rice, longtime Delaware educators and graduates of Morgan University.
But the reason she’s interested in checking out this reunion event at WPL is because of how much the show impacted her when she was attending Glasgow High School.
“I was primarily bused to Newark and was always one of three blacks in my classroom. I felt seen by the show and wanted to attend an HBCU badly,” Osimokun explained. “I ended up graduating from Bennett College in Greensboro, North Carolina.”
She’s now an attorney and hasn’t looked back. “It was one of the best decisions in my life and my grandparents’ experience and ‘A Different World’ planted that seed.”
The nostalgia surrounding this legendary show is why fan Ebony Wilmore, of Wilmington, is stoked to see this cast reunion event unfold in her backyard.
“What the Wilmington Library is doing is wonderful for our city and offers great representation, cultural awareness and inspiration for our inner-city community,” Wilmore said.
Jamar Rahming, director of Wilmington Public Library, said he wanted to bring in the cast of “A Different World” because the show is a cultural phenomenon that’s helped to play a big role in the Black community.
He also acknowledged that since the show has been streaming on HBO Max during the pandemic, it’s helped to inspire the younger generation of people.
“It changed our narrative. Having a show like that, where you have a group of Black young people who are aspirational and inspirational and driven, and in college and wanting to make the world different – that influenced my generation and the generation in the ’80s and the ’90s,” he said.
April Ryan coming in fall
After the cast of “A Different World” reunites, WPL will host White House reporter April Ryan on Oct. 27. Registration opens at 9 a.m., Sept. 27.
She’s been at her post for nearly 30 years and has a unique vantage point as the only Black female reporter covering urban issues from the White House.
Rahming expects Ryan to resonate with the community because she’s from a city similar to Wilmington.
“She’s a native of Baltimore. And Baltimore is kind of a sister city to Wilmington. We kind of have the same culture. We have some of the same issues. We’re struggling with population growth, we’re struggling with social and economic issues,” she said.
“I think that there’s a lot of commonality between her Baltimore experiences and the Wilmington experience.”
Judge Joe Brown & Michael Eric Dyson in fall
Famous TV personality Judge Joe Brown and New York Times contributor Dr. Michael Eric Dyson will debate hot-button political issues such as reproductive rights, critical race theory and more at Wilmington Public Library on Nov. 3, just a few days before Election Day.
Registration opens at 9 a.m., Oct. 3. The debate also will be streamed on Facebook.
Brown has garnered a lot of support, as well as some ridicule, during the pandemic for his tell-it-like-it-is approach to discussing sensitive topics such as Bill Cosby’s release from prison after his assault conviction was overturned. Brown supported that decision.
Rahming wanted Brown and Dyson, a Georgetown University sociology professor, to debate before Election Day because it’ll give them a forum to hash out important issues he hopes will make the local community more informed on the candidates.
Considering Brown dominated former Black News Channel correspondent LaMont Hill last summer in a debate over Bill Cosby’s release, Rahming expects this upcoming debate with Brown and Dyson to have some drama.
“This is going to be stimulating, but it’s going to be entertaining, as well,” he said.
WLP is ‘a gift to the city’
This year WPL celebrates its 100th anniversary and that milestone was complemented with it being recognized by the White House with the National Medal of Museum of Library Service, the most prestigious award a library can achieve.
“It’s been a bit overwhelming, because all we’ve done is just come to work and do our jobs, and all these great things have happened,” Rahming said.
Over the last few years, WPL has brought in a number of stars including NBA Hall of Famer Dennis Rodman, actors LeVar Burton and Lynn Whitfield, scholar and activist Cornel West, Super Bowl champion Ben Watson, political commentator Ana Navarro and New York Times writer Charles Blow.
Winning the National Medal of Museum and Library Service, and drawing a number of famous folks over the years to WPL, with more to come, is significant to the library director, because it’s a sign that the city is rebranding, he said.
“You do a simple Google search of Wilmington and you see homicides and murder capital, poverty and all kinds of things,” he explained. “I think that we are part of this great movement in this great work of changing the narrative of our city.”
Ashley Cloud, of Wilmington, said she’s been an evangelist of WPL’s event, often sharing them with friends to get the word out about the ambitious programs the library has been bringing to the city.
“The dedicated staff and leadership of Jamar Rahming have been a gift to the city,” said Cloud, who’s also excited for the cast of “A Different World” to come to Wilmington next month.
“’A Different World’ was part of my childhood. I remember watching it from the very first episode to the finale,” she added. “The characters were so memorable and I loved how they evolved in the show.”
Shanda Turner, of Wilmington, said she wants to be in the building for this event because she was figuring out adult life at the same time as the show’s characters.
“When ‘A Different World’ started it was my freshman year, too, and my college mates and I watched it every week, so I thought it would be nice to finally meet the cast in person.”
Registration to see the cast of ‘A Different World’ at Wilmington Public Library (10 E. 10th St., Wilmington) opens at 9 a.m. p.m., Monday, Aug. 29. The event will be held at 6 p.m., Sept. 29. The event is free. To register, visit wilmington.lib.de.us or (302) 571-7400.
Andre Lamar is the features/lifestyle reporter. If you have an interesting story idea, email Andre Lamar at alamar@gannett.com.
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