Dave Chappelle speaks to students at his alma mater, the Duke Ellington School for the Arts. (Photo by Dominic Griffin)
During the Emmys last weekend, Duke Ellington alum Dave Chappelle shouted out #DCPublicSchools while presenting one of the night’s awards. Earlier this afternoon, his alma mater returned the favor, playing host to Mayor Muriel Bowser as she presented the comedy icon with a key to the city.
The ceremony was as raucous a welcome for the hometown hero as one would expect, with spirited attendees ranging from students and faculty to old stand-up acts who Chappelle grew up idolizing in the D.C. scene, all whooping and hollering with pride and excitement. But this was more than just starstruck awe.
Attendees displayed the same enthusiasm for the CEO of the recently remodeled Duke Ellington School of The Arts, Tia Powell Harris, and Mayor Muriel Bowser as they were being introduced as they did for one of the biggest pop culture icons on the planet. The collective ardor in the air wasn’t just about artistic and commercial accomplishments, but about officially lionizing an appreciation for remembering where you came from.
Mayor Bowser summed it up thusly: “Dave Chappelle loves Washington, DC and we love him right back.” The press release for this event merely stated Chappelle would be receiving a “Special Presentation of Gratitude,” but Bowser expressed just how rarely she feels the key to the city is a worthy award to bestow. Giving it means the recipient is trusted to come and go from the District knowing they’re a reliable ambassador to its culture and history.
The comedian is booked for stand-up shows at the Warner Theatre through September 30, and he’s been spotted around town singing with Ed Sheeran and filming an episode of “Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee” with Jerry Seinfeld.
Though she also ran down the obvious list of ways Chappelle has shown up for the city that raised him, from supporting D.C. statehood to appearing at the unveiling of the new Ben’s Chili Bowl mural, it was Powell Harris’ words about the reflexive relationship between artistic prowess and civic duty that rang the most true.
“There’s a Sudanese proverb that says we desire to bequeath two things to our children,” Powell Harris said. “The first one is roots. The other one is wings. Students who attend the Duke Ellington School of The Arts are the embodiment of this bequeath. You, Duke Ellington students, will soar into many fields of endeavor, changing humanity for the better.”
In recalling his time at the school, Chappelle spoke of how teachers at the time would tell their students to look around at their peers with the knowledge that not every other classmate would make it through the four years. Today, he implored the students to look to do the same and recognize that many of the people in the auditorium would be friends of theirs for life.
He encouraged the students to support one another in this formative time in their lives before gifting the school something in return: the Emmy he won last week for hosting the season premiere of Saturday Night Live. He handed it over to Makael Exum, a freshman theater student.
As Exum held the statuette high, the room collectively stood up so the entire stage and audience could team up for one of those epic selfies that’s become du jour for crowds to attempt. He told Chappelle: “We want to thank you for the path that you set, for the trail that you blazed, for us to follow.”
Previously:
Jerry Seinfeld And Dave Chappelle Spotted Filming In D.C.
Watch Dave Chappelle And Ed Sheeran Sing ‘Creep’ At Eighteenth Street Lounge
Dave Chappelle And John Oliver Get #DCPublicSchools Trending During The Emmys
