Despite some reported pushback from current students, Duke Ellington School of the Arts in Washington D.C. still plans to name its theater after comedian and alumnus Dave Chappelle.
Chappelle, a popular and celebrated entertainer, has caused controversy with some of his recent comedy specials, particularly “The Closer” a Netflix special that premiered in October on the streaming app. In the special, Chappelle made comments about transgender and LGBTQ people that many found offensive.
“Gay people are minorities until they need to be white again,” and other examples from the show also appear to ignore people of color in the LGBTQ community.
While the special generated criticism, Netflix has decided to keep it on the platform, where it has been one of the most-watched original comedy specials on the app. It also has a high rating on Rotten Tomatoes, said the school.
Following the release of the special and backlash, Chappelle took to Instagram to discuss whether he had been “cancelled” due to his comments.
In a Nov. 12 news release, Duke Ellington School of the Arts said that while an exhibition to honor Chappelle planned for Nov. 25 would be postponed until April 22, his name would appear on the school’s theater.
Chappelle has donated his Emmy ward, $100,000 and more to the school and hosted events there with other artists such as Bradley Cooper and Erykah Badu.
“Chappelle has elevated the national and international profile of the school by giving witness to the many ways Ellington has improved the lives of its students and fellow alumni,” said the school.
Ellington also said Peggy Cooper Cafritz – one of its founders – decided the theater should be named for him. However, some students were not happy about the choice.
According to Politico, two students told the outlet that “their peers got into a heated debate with faculty after being told that they were expected to help assemble an exhibition to honor Chappelle on the same day as the fundraiser,” and some considered a walkout protest.
“We will lean into this moment as a community,” said the school regarding the decision to postpone the event with Chappelle. “We have engaged in listening sessions with our students and have allowed space for diverse viewpoints. We are committed to fostering a community where every individual feels both heard and supported.”
Ellington also expanded its social studies curriculum in response to the special and said “cancel culture” would not be a constructive method for teaching its students.
While the event was postponed, Chappelle made a visit to the school last month anyway.
“Chappelle cares deeply about Ellington and its students and regards them as family,” said Ellington in a Nov. 28 statement. “He made an unannounced visit before the Thanksgiving break to meet with his Ellington family and to hear directly from the few students who have concerns about his recent comedy special.”
Politico reported that 580 students – who were asked to put away their phones – were in attendance for Chappelle’s Nov. 23 visit to the school with a camera crew.
Some students cheered for him and others booed, said the outlet. One called Chappelle a “bigot” and said he acted childish.
“I’m better than every instrumentalist, artist, no matter what art you do in this school, right now, I’m better than all of you. I’m sure that will change. I’m sure you’ll be household names soon,” Chappelle said in response to criticism from the students.
By the end of the visit, Chappelle’s tone changed when he discussed threats students at the school had been getting. Attendees told Politico “he was really kind,” at that point.
“While there has been extensive media coverage about the theatre naming and Chappelle’s most recent visit to the school, the source stories that have gone viral have been inaccurate, devoid of context, and neglected to include the nuances of art,” said Ellington.
After he stopped by Ellington, Chappelle asked people to donate to the school via an Instagram message. He also asked them include a message with their donation about whether the theater should be named for him. Chappelle said that whatever side got the most donations would determine the name.
WARNING: PROFANITY
However, Ellington said the school is moving forward with naming the theater after Chappelle regardless of the donation messages.
“While we appreciate Dave’s impromptu and spirited fundraising initiative, we stand behind our decision to honor the wishes of our co-founder, the late Peggy Cooper Cafritz, to name the theatre after Chappelle,” it said. “All donations will go towards arts programming and every donor, irrespective of their support or opposition to the theater naming, will receive an official thank you from our team.”
Ellington said that a majority of its students support naming the theater after Chappelle.
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