New "A Different World" series holds deep connection to Atlanta HBCUs
It's been three decades since the show "A Different World" ended. Now a new generation is heading to the fictional HBCU Hillman College.
The new Netflix series was filmed on Atlanta HBCU campuses in the Atlanta University Center.
Actress Jasmine Guy is back as Whitley Gilbert. She's now a mother watching her youngest child leave for college.
"I'm loving revisiting our roles from the original show, but also the interaction with our new Hillman class, the freshman class," Guy said.
For Guy, the new series means big changes for her character.
"She's 60 … 58 years old. I'm older than Whitley is," Guy said. "She's a mother of three. She's had her own business as a beauty mogul. At this time in her life, this is her last baby that's going away. She and Dwayne are not quite connecting."
As the new students find their place at Hillman, the series also touches on challenges facing HBCUs.
"The struggle with HBCU funding is prevalent in our first season because it's affecting scholarships, housing," Guy said.
Kennedi Reece plays a student raised in church in a small town who's now navigating college life and new relationships.
"It also just touches on friendships and relationships as you're navigating being at college at the first time," Reece said.
Reece filmed the show while attending Howard University.
"I experienced Howard, and then I experienced AUC, and then I also experienced Hillman, and they're all connected. I just had so much support from the cast," Reece said.
"She was finishing her senior year at Howard," Guy said.
Chibuikem Uche plays a fashion entrepreneur with Ghanaian and Nigerian roots. He says the HBCU connection extended behind the cameras.
"Nearly 60% of our crew were current HBCU students or alumni. So just having that environment to work in just adds to the authenticity," Uche said.
For Guy, Atlanta was the perfect city to shoot the new season in.
"We grew up across the street from Morehouse because my dad taught at Morehouse. I went to the Spelman Dance School. So it's kind of a feeling of being back home. We didn't feel this love shooting 'A Different World' in LA - let me just say that," Guy said.
The cast hopes the show gives viewers a closer look at what an HBCU can mean to its students.
"I think that the difference in going to an HBCU in general is that your teachers are invested, the school is invested, and they're not going to let you fall," Guy said.
