America’s first black vp met with the celebs of the Nineties sitcom in her office within the West Wing of the White House.
Vice President Kamala Harris honored historically black colleges and universities with the solid of the comedy series “Another World,” while the White House promoted their efforts to ease the burden of student debt.
In the film sent on Friday, Harris highlighted the Biden-Harris administration’s actions to eliminate student debt for hundreds of thousands of borrowers. She was joined by “A Different World” co-stars Jasmine Guy, Kadeem Hardison and Glenn Turman to urge borrowers to find out about available federal debt relief programs.
The movie begins with Guy, who played Whitley Gilbert, and Hardison, who played Dwayne Wayne, within the White House. In the series, Wayne fell in love with Gilbert while they were studying at Hillman College, a fictional HBCU. The series aired on NBC from 1987 to 1993.
“We live in a different world,” Guy said.
Hardison then said, “Whether you graduated from Hillman or…” the camera then cuts to Harris, who continued, “Either went to the real HU, student loan debt is a burden on too many people right now, and we do something about it.”
Harris is a graduate of Howard University, which students and alumni of the university refer to because the “real HU” to distinguish it from rival Hampton University.
In the following video sent on Saturday, actors including Cree Summer, Dawnn Lewis, Chernele Brown and Daryl Bell recreate the show’s intro outside the West Wing. Harris is later seen greeting and chatting with the solid in her office.
According to the vp’s office, Harris was “overjoyed” to welcome the solid to the White House during their visit organized by the White House Office of Community Engagement. The solid was in Washington, D.C. as a part of an HBCU tour aimed toward promoting college enrollment and raising funds for scholarships for current and future students.
The actors held a non-public meeting with Harris on Tuesday, during which they discussed the Biden-Harris administration’s efforts to address the rising costs of upper education and the burden of student debt.
Vice President Harris welcomes actress Dawnn Lewis, who starred within the film “Another World.” (Photo: White House)
The meeting also highlighted HBCUs, a few of which have seen record enrollment numbers for the reason that Covid-19 pandemic. The Biden-Harris administration has invested greater than $7 billion in historically black colleges and universities. As a Howard graduate, Harris is credited with bringing national attention to HBCUs.
The vp’s office said Harris will proceed to expand the importance of HBCUs and the impact of “leading the way for HBCU graduates across the country.”
A day before the solid of “A Different World” visited the White House, which included a tour of the press briefing room with White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre, the Biden-Harris administration announced its long-awaited student loan debt forgiveness program.
“Plan B” of President Biden’s original program, which was eliminated by the U.S. Supreme Court, includes five methods to “fix” the federal student loan program, including providing debt forgiveness to borrowers who owe more today than after they began repayment, who owed for 20 years or more and are experiencing financial difficulties. The proposed plan is anticipated to be ready in the autumn.
Combined with existing student loan programs created or expanded by the administration, the White House expects to provide assistance to as many as 30 million student borrowers, including many Black and Latino borrowers. So far, Biden and Harris have canceled $146 billion in student loan debt for 4 million Americans.
TheGrio caught up with the solid of “A Different World” in regards to the need to provide economic relief to Black students and borrowers.
(Front Row LR) Cree Summer, Kadeem Hardison (Second Row LR) Charnele Brown, Dawnn Lewis, Darryl M. Bell (Back Row LR) Jasmine Guy and Glynn Turman attend A Different World HBCU College Tour 2024 at Spelman College on February 29 , 2024 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo: Nykieria Chaney/Getty Images)
“We are putting a burden on these children when they are just starting out in life,” Guy told the Grio day by day. “They enter their lives with a ball and chain.”
Bell, who played Ron Johnson in “A Different World,” brought to mind America’s first black president, Barack Obama, and former first lady Michelle Obama, who only paid off their college debt 4 years before entering the White House.
“Not everyone can do this to get out of debt,” Bell said.
Lewis, who played Jaleesa Vinson, said she would not have the opportunity to repay her student loan debt until she starred in “A Different World.”
“The repayments were being put off more and more, being put off until I could get a job… I was able to do this for over a decade trying to pay off my student loans,” said Lewis, a University of Miami graduate. “But it was important to get an education and do what needed to be done.”
Recalling his visit to the White House and the progress black Americans have made, Turman, who starred as Colonel Bradford Taylor on the series, said it was a “good starting point.”
“I actually see us going much further,” Grio said. “It’s good that we’re here. And it took everything to get here. But where we need to get to is just the tip of the iceberg.
Turman said he especially wants young Black people to be “encouraged” and “enthusiastic” about the opportunities available to them, but not “take them for granted.”
“This is not the time to become complacent. Just because you see us standing here in the White House doesn’t mean we don’t still have to put bricks and mortar on this bad boy,” he said. “Continue… because you need us.”
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