Wilson, August: - August Wilson (1945-2005) is the most influential and successful African American playwright. A two-time Pulitzer Prize-winning author, his plays have been produced all over the world.

Rashad, Phylicia: -

An accomplished actor and stage director, Phylicia Rashad became a household name when she portrayed Claire Huxtable on The Cosby Show.

While television was a catalyst in the rise of her career, Rashad has also appeared both on and Off Broadway, in projects that showcase her musical talent such as Jelly's Last Jam, Into the Woods, Dreamgirls, and The Wiz; as well as in plays such as Dominique Morriseau's Skeleton Crew (Tony and Drama Desk Awards), Tracy Letts' August: Osage County, Tennessee Williams' Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (a role that she reprised on the London stage), August Wilson's Gem of The Ocean (Tony Award nomination), Shakespeare's Cymbeline at Lincoln Center, and the 2004 Broadway revival of Lorraine Hansberry's A Raisin in The Sun (Tony and Drama Desk Awards).

Rashad was appointed Dean of the Chadwick A. Boseman College of Fine Arts at Howard University in May of 2021. She also holds the distinction of being the first recipient of the Denzel Washington Chair in Theatre at Fordham University.