‘Black Panther’ star praises students for activism at Howard U. commencement

Actor Chadwick Boseman on Saturday commended the Howard University students who protested earlier this year over a financial aid scandal at their school.

Boseman, who starred in the box office superhero hit “Black Panther,” said the students’ efforts earlier this year were “impressive.”

{mosads}“I didn’t come here to take sides. My interest is what’s best for the school,” Boseman told the students.

“A Howard University education is not just about what happens in the classroom. Students, in some ways, what you were able to do exemplifies some of the skills you learned in the classroom. It takes the education out of the realm of theory and into utility and practice.”

The actor, who graduated from Howard, said students demonstrated against the school’s decision to merge different colleges when he was a student.

“Obviously, your organization skills were unprecedented. I’m told that you organized shifts so you could at least continue some of your classes. We missed all of our classes,” Boseman said. 

Students at the historically black university in March organized a sit-in at the school’s administrative building after several university employees were fired for allegedly misappropriating financing.

Boseman applauded the students for creating a list of demands and negotiating with the university.

“So your organization and planning was impeccable,” Boseman told the university’s students. “You received a majority of your demands, making a significant impact on those who came after you.”

Boseman also praised the university’s employees for working with the students.

“The administration and the campus police at the time when I was protesting was not nearly as open-minded as this current one,” he said.