Jasmine Guy shares her stance on Bill Cosby’s legacy and how he has helped change the perception of HBCUs.
In a recent interview, the actress explained why she believes that Cobsy’s contributions to HBCUs should not be overshadowed by his crimes. “I don’t know what his legacy will be, but I’m glad they brought ‘The Cosby’ show back because they took it off, and I thought that would happen to ‘A Different World’ too, but for some reason, people forget that we are a spin-off too from that show without Lisa [Bonet] being there,” she said. “So we survived that.”
Guy played the role of Whitley Gilbert for six seasons on “A Different World,” from 1987 to 1993. The cast is currently on a 10-city HBCU tour to spread awareness and raise HBCU enrollments. “I hope his work survives, the legacy of his work. The reason we’re on an HBCU campus is because of Cosby’s idea. He’s brilliant to set it that way because he’s sending out a message without saying it, or broadcasting it,” Guy said.
She added, “He put HBCUs on the map, especially on the West Coast. People had never heard of it because they don’t have Black colleges on the West Coast.”
Jasmine Guy concluded, “I hope his work remains as fruitful as it is.”