One Last Time: CABCoFA Celebrates the Class of 2026
By Chad Eric Smith, Director of Marketing and Communications, Chadwick A. Boseman College of Fine Arts
The 2026 Recognition Ceremony for the Chadwick A. Boseman College of Fine Arts was more than a celebration of degrees earned. It was a reflection on artistry, resilience, community, and the collective journey that carried 90 graduates across the finish line.
Held before an audience of proud family members, friends, faculty, staff, alumni, and supporters, the ceremony blended music, dance, storytelling, scholarship, and tribute in a way that felt uniquely true to the spirit of the College.
The afternoon opened with a powerful processional led by Artist-in-Residence Amadou Kouyate and guest drummers Robert Myers, Alafia Bailey, and Duane Smith, setting a celebratory and deeply rooted tone before graduates entered to the sounds of “T’Challa’s Suite," Black Panther main theme by composer Ludwig Göransson.
Assistant Dean for Administration Denise Saunders Thompson, who served as Mistress of Ceremonies, welcomed attendees to the 2026 Chadwick A. Boseman College of Fine Arts Recognition Ceremony for graduates of our three Departments – Art, Music, and Theatre Arts.
Throughout the ceremony, student artistry remained at the center. Original compositions, live musical performances, and dance selections showcased the extraordinary range of talent within the graduating class. Department of Music graduate Dillon DeBourg presented an original work, Echoes: Two Movements for Black Girls and Boys, while Dance majors performed FORTITUDE, choreographed by Morgan Williams. Later in the program, graduating Musical Theatre majors closed the ceremony with a moving rendition of “One Last Time” from Hamilton.
One of the ceremony’s most memorable moments came during the student address delivered by graduating Fashion Design major David Edward Brown. Reflecting on his journey from Augusta, Georgia to Howard University, Brown spoke candidly about uncertainty, calling, and discovering what made Howard “a special place.”
“At the time, I thought she meant it was special in a Black Disneyland kind of way,” Brown said, recalling a conversation with Department of Art faculty member Dr. Elka Stevens. “But after attending this university, I can confidently say that Dr. Stevens was right, yet again, Howard is a special place.”
Brown’s remarks balanced humor and heartfelt reflection, while grounding the graduating class in a larger sense of responsibility and legacy.
“Being a Bison means rising above the challenges, pushing forward in times of crisis, and not alone, but with our Herd,” he said.
He concluded by returning to a creed from his childhood arts education, reminding graduates that “We represent something larger than ourselves, in everything we do and everything we say.”
Following Brown, Interim Provost and Chief Academic Officer Dawn Williams addressed the graduating class, praising students for the discipline, courage, and purpose that shaped their artistic journeys. “You created, you performed, you designed,” Williams told graduates. “You studied your craft, and you gave life to ideas that moved people, challenged perspectives, and reflected the depth of the human experience.” Grounding her remarks in Howard University’s motto of “Excellence in Truth and Service,” Williams encouraged graduates to use their artistry to preserve culture, challenge injustice, and tell stories that matter, while reminding them that, “You don’t have next, you have now.”
Dean Raquel Monroe, Ph.D., also offered a powerful charge to the graduating class, emphasizing the role artists play in shaping communities and culture.
“As artists and scholars, you are the producers of culture, the heartbeat of every community you enter,” Monroe said. “Your work inspires action. It is the salve that soothes broken hearts. It encourages others to vision and dream as you do.”
In remarks that blended encouragement with practical wisdom, Monroe urged graduates to remain grounded in integrity, gratitude, and community.
“Know that you are enough, just as you are,” she told graduates. “You are more than enough.”
Watch Dean Monroe's Full Remarks
The ceremony’s keynote address was delivered by multidisciplinary artist and Howard alumna Jewel Ham, whose work has been featured internationally through exhibitions, publications, and collaborations with organizations and brands including Spotify, Art Basel, and The Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Following her address, Photography Major Mia Butler and Electronic Studio Major Jade Hall presented Ham with the College’s 2026 Blue Flame Award, an honor recognizing resilience, passion, purpose, and impact. In describing the symbolism behind the award, Butler reflected on “the power of will, the ability to give oneself to the world wholeheartedly.”
“This particular flame burns through strong winds and doesn’t easily falter in the face of challenges,” Hall said during the presentation. “The fire within them burns brighter in time and will keep on lighting up the world long after the exits, applauses, and awards.”
The ceremony also highlighted the remarkable academic achievements of the Class of 2026. Four Department of Art students graduated with perfect 4.0 GPAs and summa cum laude honors, while six additional students earned High Honors with cumulative GPAs between 3.90 and 3.99.
Saunders Thompson noted that approximately 72 percent of the graduating class earned Latin honors, a reflection of the class’s extraordinary academic performance and perseverance.
“This year we graduate a special class,” Saunders Thompson said, reflecting on the cohort’s experience entering college during the lingering disruptions of the COVID-19 pandemic. “Graduation isn’t a finish line. It’s a launch point into a world that’s changing faster than ever.”
Graduates from the Departments of Art, Music, and Theatre Arts crossed the stage to receive recognition before the ceremony concluded with acknowledgements of faculty, staff, student marshals, volunteers, photographers, and families whose support helped sustain students throughout their journeys.
“It’s been a momentous occasion, hasn’t it?” Monroe said near the ceremony’s close. “Our recognition is full but not yet complete.”
She then invited parents, grandparents, siblings, mentors, and loved ones to stand and be recognized for the role they played in helping graduates arrive at this moment.
As the ceremony concluded with Howard University’s Alma Mater and a recessional to “All the Stars” by Kendrick Lamar and SZA, the Class of 2026 left the stage not only as graduates, but as the next generation of artists, scholars, storytellers, musicians, performers, designers, and cultural leaders prepared to shape the world around them.