2026 marks 100 years since the very first Black History Week, and 50 years since the inaugural Black History Month — an annual celebration we now recognize as an essential event on both our calendars and within our culture.

Howard University has produced some of the most prolific Black musicians, actors, dancers, and entertainers. Celebrated performers such as Phylicia Rashad, Debbie Allen, Chadwick Boseman, Taraji P. Henson, Anthony Anderson, Roberta Flack, and Roxy Roker have all once been Howard students who sharpened their skills at The Mecca, but the list of Bison history makers in the arts is expansive.

Take a look at The Dig’s list of a selection of Howard alums who are trailblazers in the performing arts. 

Rev. Richard L. Smallwood (B.A. ’71, M.Div ’04), was a legendary, award-winning gospel singer, composer, and pianist. Smallwood’s career spanned move five decades, blending traditional gospel with classic, jazz, and contemporary influences. He was an eight-time Grammy nominee and winner of several Dove and Stellar Awards. As leader of the Richard Smallwood Singers and later the Vision choir, Smallwood scored several hits including “Total Praise,” “Trust Me” and “I’ll Trust You.” Over the years, his songs were covered by artists including Whitney Houston, who remade “I Love the Lord” for “The Preacher’s Wife,” as well as Destiny’s Child, who covered “Total Praise” as part of a 2007 acapella track “Gospel Medley.” During his time at Howard, Smallwood joined the university’s first gospel group, The Celestials, before becoming a founding member of the Howard University Gospel Choir.

Jessye Norman (B.A. ’67) was one of the most decorated American opera singers and recitalists and was regarded as one of the most important opera figures of the 20th and early 21st centuries. She won five Grammy Awards, four for her recordings and one for lifetime achievement. She also received the prestigious Kennedy Center Honor in 1997 and the National Medal of Arts in 2009. At the age of 16, Norman’s performance at a vocal competition earned her a full scholarship to Howard. She graduated from the university with a degree in music, then went on to complete her graduate education at the Peabody Conservatory and later at the Michigan School of Music, Theatre & Dance. In addition to her musical contributions, she was socially engaged. In 2003, Norman and the Rachel Longstreet Foundation created the Jessye Norman School of the Arts, a free after-school arts program in her native Augusta for underserved students.

Joseph A. Walker (B.A. ’56) was a playwright, actor, and educator. He received a degree in philosophy from Howard, where he minored in drama, and spent much of his undergraduate years working on productions with the university’s theatre troupe, The Howard Players. One of his notable early acting roles included playing Luke in James Baldwin’s three-act play “The Amen Corner” in 1955. In his early years, he performed with the Negro Ensemble Company, which produced several of his plays, and from 1970 to 1971 he was playwright in residence at Yale University. Walker performed in numerous stage productions during the late 1960’s and early 1970’s, including “The Believers.” He also performed in films, such as “April Fools (1969) and “Bananas” (1971). His best-known work “The River Niger” won a 1973 Obie Award for best Off-Broadway play and a Tony Award in 1974 for best play. Walker also received a Guggenheim Fellowship in 1973 and a Rockefeller Foundation grant in 1979. “The River Niger” was considered a beacon of the Black Arts Movement of the 1970s for its portrayal of a Black American family navigating their struggles. Walker adapted the play into a film that premiered in 1976 starring James Earl Jones, Cicely Tyson, Glynn Turman, and Louis Gossett Jr. Walker later returned to Howard to teach drama from 1989-1992.

LaVerne Howell Reed (B.A. ’72) was a dancer, choreographer, playwright, educator, and producer. Reed was trained in dancing at the Pennsylvania School of Ballet, the Arthur Hall Afro-American Dance Ensemble, and the Julliard School before she enrolled at Howard where she majored in drama — before the university established its dance major. As a performer, Reed worked with the D.C. Black Repertory Company, the Joyce Trisler Dance Company, and the Louis Johnson Dance Theatre and choreographed for the Washington Ballet and the Capital Ballet. In 1976 she founded the LaVerne Reed Dancers, a troupe of 25 dancers who became the preeminent Black dance troupe in D.C., performing with artists such as Stephanie Mills, Melba Moore, Cicely Tyson, and Esther Rolle. She also served as the city-wide dance director and children’s theatre specialist for the D.C Department of Recreation. Reed returned to Howard to teach in the Department of Drama (now the Department of Theatre Arts) and served as the university’s resident choreographer, leaving a lasting impact on the students she trained and inspired. 

Eric Roberson (BFA ’97) is a two-time Grammy nominated singer, songwriter, and producer. As an independent artist, Roberson’s career has spanned more than 30 years and he’s worked with celebrated artists such as DJ Jazzy Jeff, Jill Scott, Musiq Soulchild, Dwele, Vivian Green, and countless others. He received his music degree from Howard, which honed much of his songwriting skills. The first artist to be nominated for a BET J Award in 2007, Roberson, alongside Rahsaan Patterson, was also the recipient of the “Underground Artist of the Year” in 2008. In addition to these honors, Roberson has also been nominated for the Soul Train Music Awards and has been recognized as a pioneer of the independent soul movement. With more than a dozen studio albums, he has cultivated a global fan base while maintaining creative control over his music, a rare accomplishment in today’s industry.

Carroll “CVD” Dashiell Jr. (MUSB ’88, MUSB ’95) and Christie Dashiell (MUSB ’10) are father-daughter musicians who are also alums-turned-faculty members within Howard’s Department of Music carving their own lanes in the music industry. Dashiell Jr., chair of the music department, is a Grammy-nominated jazz bassist, musical director, and composer/arranger. He’s performed with entities such as the Boston Pops, as well as the National and the Washington Philharmonic Orchestras. He’s also performed in concert and Broadway show tours with artists such as Maurice Hines, Stephanie Mills, Vanessa Rubin, Jennifer Holiday and Ray Charles. Dashiell Jr. was honored by Down Beat Magazine as the 2002 Jazz Educator of the year and is also the founder and artistic director of the Dr. Billy Taylor Jazz festival, named in honor of his mentor. 

Christie Dashiell is an acclaimed jazz singer in her own right as a two-time Grammy nominee. During her time at Howard, she sang in the university’s vocal jazz ensemble, Afro-Blue. As a member of the ensemble, she appeared on season three of NBC’s “The Sing Off” in 2011. Dashiell was also a semifinalist in the 2015 Thelonious Monk Institute International Vocals competition. Her debut 2016 solo album, “Time All Mine,” debuted on Billboard’s Jazz Album and Contemporary Jazz Album charts at numbers 13 and 22, as well as making JazzTimes’ Top 50: Writer's Ballots, Critics’ Poll. She’s currently an adjunct jazz voice lecturer at Howard. 

Damien Sneed (B.A ’02) is a multi-genre recording artist, instrumentalist, composer, conductor, arranger, and producer who’s worked with iconic artists such as Aretha Franklin, Jessye Norman, Wynton Marsalis, Stevie Wonder, Diana Ross, and many others. In addition to his artistry, he’s also served as music director for Grammy Award-winning gospel artists such as The Clark Sisters, Richard Smallwood, Donnie McClurkin, Hezekiah Walker, and Marvin Sapp. He graduated from Howard with a degree in piano performance. Sneed is the founder and artistic director of the group Chorale Le Chateau, which has gained a global reputation for its vivid interpretations of vocal literature, from Renaissance period pieces to art songs to jazz, spirituals, gospel, and avant-garde contemporary music. He is currently an associate professor of music at Howard. 

Lauren E. Banks (BFA ’13) is an actress best known for her tv roles in Showtime’s “City on a Hill,” where she played Siobhan Quays, and the Paramount+ series “Lawmen: Bass Reeves” in the role of Jennie Reeves. At Howard, Banks studied in the theatre arts program and served as president of The Howard Players. She’s also starred in projects such as Netflix's “Maniac,” Starz's “Gaslit,” Apple TV+'s “Roar” anthology series, and the thriller film “The Dutchman.” In addition to her on-screen work, Banks has pursued behind-the-camera roles in independent short films, serving as both director and producer. She made her directorial debut with “Love Therapy” (2021), a 14-minute drama that she produced alongside writer Clinton Roane.

Birgundi Baker (BFA ’15) is an actor who currently stars in Showtime’s hit series “The Chi” in the recurring role of Keisha Williams. The critically acclaimed show will premiere its eighth and final season this year. Baker, who studied musical theatre at Howard, was named as one of Refinery29’s “Top Actresses to Look Out for in 2018.” Additional projects she’s worked on includes tv series “Heathers,” “Black Lightening,” “Station 19,” “Chicago Med,” and “Empire.” Baker’s also been featured in feature films such as “The Last Shift,” (2020) “Block Party,” (2022) and “Praise This” (2023).

Ryan Jamaal Swain (BFA ’16) is an actor, singer, dancer, and activist most known for his breakout role as Damon Evangalista in FX’s award-winning series “Pose.” While attending Howard, where he studied in the Department of Theatre Arts, Swain appeared in the production “Anything Goes.” Other stage productions he’s been a part of also include “Six Degrees of Separation,” Thoughts of a Colored Man,” and “Kill Move Paradise.” In 2019, Swain was named one of Forbes’ “30 Under 30” for his activism work. Most recently, he appeared in films such as “1 Million Followers” (2024) and “Relationship Goals” (2026). 

Learn more about Howard University's performing arts programs and departments within the Chadwick A. Boseman College of Fine Arts.