Chadwick Boseman
Actor and Howard University alum Chadwick Boseman delivers the commencement address on May 12, 2018. (Roy Lewis/The Washington Informer)

Howard University has teamed with streaming service Netflix to establish a $5.4 million scholarship in honor of late actor and HU alumnus Chadwick Boseman, school officials announced Monday.

The four-year scholarship, created with the support of Bosemanโ€™s wife, Simone Ledward-Boseman, will be awarded to students who exemplify โ€œexceptional skills in the arts reminiscent of Mr. Bosemanโ€ and demonstrate financial need, the school said.

Beginning in the current semester, the first four scholarships will go to a student from each class, with one incoming freshman to be awarded annually thereafter, covering the full cost of tuition.

โ€œThis scholarship embodies Chadwickโ€™s love for Howard, his passion for storytelling, and his willingness to support future generations of Howard students,โ€ Howard President Wayne A.I. Frederick said in a statement.

Boseman, who died last year at 43 of colon cancer, graduated from Howard in 2000 with a bachelor of fine arts in directing and served as the universityโ€™s commencement speaker in 2018. The school renamed its College of Fine Arts after the โ€œBlack Pantherโ€ actor earlier this year.

This correspondent is a guest contributor to The Washington Informer.

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