I Heart Hillman: A Visual History of HBCUs On-Screen

Many Americans were first introduced to HBCUs in the 1980s through movies and TV shows. From step shows and marching bands to political rallies and color-complex issues, take an insider's tour of the classic TV shows and movies that celebrated the rich and legendary collegiate culture of black institutions.

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  Welcome, America, to A Different World

  oxygen.com

  A Different World was a world that many in the African-American community had been born and bred to be apart of--the microcosm that is the black college. Before Bill Cosby's brain child became a hit, mainstream America hadn't seen the black community's diversity that is literally bursting from the seams at HBCU campuses across the nation.

  CAPTIONS BY JADA F. SMITH

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  "I ain't one of the Cosby's, I ain't go to Hillman"

  Getty Images

  There was the brainiac Dwayne Wayne, hard-working Kimberly Reese, the uppity Southern belle Whitley Gilbert and free-spirited Freddie Brooks and later the tough, street-wise Lena and Pan-African enthusiast Shazza Zulu who added to the program’s assorted flavor. A Different World was the first authentic representation of black college life TV had ever seen.

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  Who You Callin' A Jigaboo?!

  impawards.com

  Right on the heels of A Different World, Morehouse alum Spike Lee directed the critical, sometimes not-so-picturesque side of HBCUs. Often plagued with elitism, self-degradation, political apathy and color complexes, black institutions have not been immune to the issues of the African Diaspora. Afraid of the way black schools might be portrayed in the film, Lee and his crew were kicked off the campuses of Morehouse, Spelman and Clark Atlanta University. He finished production at Morris Brown College.

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  School Haze

  videodetective.com

  The film focused on the tradition of pledging at black schools, and more intently the toll hazing takes on personal values, morals and self-esteem. The fictional Gamma Phi Gamma fraternity was known to have their members bark like dogs and sleep with their loyal groupies, the Gamma Rays.

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  "Down here, it's all about the marching bands...shawty"

  impawards.com

  The widely used phrase “half time is game time” was at the core of the black marching band movie Drumline. Adequately expressing the fervor that often surrounds black college bands, the movie highlighted the seriousness of serenading the stands at football games and the intensity of fighting rival bands on the field.

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  A Band of Brothers (and Sisters, too!)

  Pulling on the deep-rooted tradition of soul music, dance and camaraderie in the black community, marching bands at black schools often outshine the athletes. The feel-good, coming-of-age story exposes audiences to the fraternity-like culture in black marching bands.

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  Step in the Name of Love

  impawards.com

  Stomp the Yard attempted to dissect the desperation often associated with pledging at HBCUs, but it barely scratched the surface. Focusing mainly on the world of hard-core stepping, the movie emphasized the competitive nature of black Greeks’ favorite pastime.

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  Battle of the Black Greeks

  ferdyonfilms.com

  Stepping has become one of the biggest aspects of HBCU culture, drawing audiences numbering in the thousands for step shows and national competitions.

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  It's Debatable

  New York Daily News

  The Great Debaters highlights the little-known story about the Wiley College debate team who defeated the Harvard debate team in the racially charged 1930s. The Great Debaters proved that academics do matter at HBCUs.

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  Touche'

  allmoviephoto.com

  After a 1997 article written about Wiley’s national champion debate team, a renewed interest was sparked, leading to a documentary released in 2005 and the feature film starring Denzel Washington in 2007.