document_title: Icelanders

question_text: who is generally recognised as iceland's first permanent male settler

question_tokens: who is generally recognised as iceland 's first permanent male settler

text: Icelanders

text: Iceland

text: Icelanders have had a tumultuous history. Development of the island was slow due to a lack of interest from the countries controlling it for most of its history: Norway, Denmark–Norway, and ultimately Denmark. Through this time, Iceland had relatively little contact with the outside world.[11] The island became independent in union with Denmark in 1918. Since 1944, Iceland has been a republic, and Icelandic society has undergone a rapid modernisation process in the post-independence era.

text: History

text: Iceland is a geologically young land mass, having formed an estimated 20 million years ago due to volcanic eruptions on the Mid-Atlantic ridge. One of the last larger islands to remain uninhabited, the first human settlement date is generally accepted to be 874, although there is some evidence to suggest human activity prior to the Norse arrival.[12]

text: Initial migration and settlement

text: The first Viking to sight Iceland was Gardar Svavarsson, who went off course due to harsh conditions when sailing from Norway to the Faroe Islands. His reports led to the first efforts to settle the island. Flóki Vilgerðarson (b. 9th century) was the first Norseman to sail to Iceland intentionally. His story is documented in the Landnámabók manuscript, and he is said to have named the island Ísland (Iceland). The first permanent settler in Iceland is usually considered to have been a Norwegian chieftain named Ingólfur Arnarson. He settled with his family in around 874, at a place he named "Bay of Smokes", or Reykjavík in Icelandic.[13]

text: Following Ingólfur, and also in 874, another group of Norwegians set sail across the North Atlantic Ocean with their families, livestock, slaves and possessions, escaping the domination of the first King of Norway, Harald Fairhair. They traveled 1,000 km (600 mi) in their Viking longships to the island of Iceland. These people were primarily of Norwegian, Irish or Gaelic Scottish origin. The Irish and the Scottish Gaels were either slaves or servants of the Norse chiefs, according to the Icelandic sagas, or descendants of a "group of Norsemen who had settled in Scotland and Ireland and intermarried with Gaelic-speaking people".[14] Genetic evidence suggests that approximately 62% of the Icelandic maternal gene pool is derived from Ireland and Scotland, which is much higher than other Scandinavian countries, although comparable to the Faroese, while 37% is of Nordic origin.[15] About 20-25% of the Icelandic paternal gene pool is of Gaelic origin, with the rest being Nordic.[16]

text: The Icelandic Age of Settlement (Icelandic: Landnámsöld) is considered to have lasted from 874 to 930, at which point most of the island had been claimed and the Alþingi (English: Althing), the assembly of the Icelandic Commonwealth, was founded at Þingvellir.[17]

text: Hardship and conflict

text: In 930, on the Þingvellir (English: Thingvellir) plain near Reykjavík, the chieftains and their families met and established the Alþingi, Iceland's first national assembly. However, the Alþingi lacked the power to enforce the laws it made. In 1262, struggles between rival chieftains left Iceland so divided that King Haakon IV of Norway was asked to step in as a final arbitrator for all disputes, as part of the Old Covenant. This is known as the Age of the Sturlungs.[18]

text: Iceland was under Norwegian leadership until 1380, when the Royal House of Norway died out. At this point, both Iceland and Norway came under the control of the Danish Crown. With the introduction of absolute monarchy in Denmark, the Icelanders relinquished their autonomy to the crown, including the right to initiate and consent to legislation. This meant a loss of independence for Iceland, which led to nearly 300 years of decline: perhaps largely because Denmark and its Crown did not consider Iceland to be a colony to be supported and assisted. In particular, the lack of help in defense led to constant raids by marauding pirates along the Icelandic coasts.[11]

text: Unlike Norway, Denmark did not need Iceland's fish and homespun wool. This created a dramatic deficit in Iceland's trade, and no new ships were built as a result. In 1602 Iceland was forbidden to trade with other countries by order of the Danish Government, and in the 18th century climatic conditions had reached an all-time low since Settlement.[11]

text: In 1783–84 Laki, a volcanic fissure in the south of the island, erupted. The eruption produced about 15 km³ (3.6 mi³) of basalt lava, and the total volume of tephra emitted was 0.91 km³.[19] The aerosols built up caused a cooling effect in the Northern Hemisphere. The consequences for Iceland were catastrophic, with approximately 25-33% of the population dying in the famine of 1783 and 1784. Around 80% of sheep, 50% of cattle, and 50% of horses died of fluorosis from the 8 million tons of fluorine that were released.[20] This disaster is known as the Mist Hardship (Icelandic: Móðuharðindin).

text: In 1798–99 the Alþingi was discontinued for several decades, eventually being restored in 1844. It was moved to Reykjavík, the capital, after being held at Þingvellir for over nine centuries.

text: Independence and prosperity

text: The 19th century brought significant improvement in the Icelanders' situation. A protest movement was led by Jón Sigurðsson, a statesman, historian, and authority on Icelandic literature. Inspired by the romantic and nationalist currents from mainland Europe, Jón protested strongly, through political journals and self-publications, for 'a return to national consciousness' and for political and social changes to be made to help speed up Iceland's development.[21]

text: In 1854, the Danish government relaxed the trade ban that had been imposed in 1602, and Iceland gradually began to rejoin Western Europe economically and socially. With this return of contact with other peoples came a reawakening of Iceland's arts, especially its literature. Twenty years later in 1874, Iceland was granted a constitution. Icelanders today recognize Jón's efforts as largely responsible for their economic and social resurgence.[21]

text: Iceland gained full sovereignty and independence from Denmark in 1918 after World War I. It became the Kingdom of Iceland. The King of Denmark also served as the King of Iceland but Iceland retained only formal ties with the Danish Crown. On 17 June 1944 the monarchy was abolished and a republic was established on what would have been Jón Sigurðsson's 133rd birthday. This ended nearly six centuries of ties with Denmark.[21]

text: Demographics and society

text: Genetics

text: Most mitochondrial DNA lineages found today in contemporary Icelanders can be traced to the native populations in Ireland and Scotland and Scandinavia. Another study[22] shows that a tiny proportion of samples of contemporary Icelanders carry a more distant lineage, which belongs to the haplogroup C1e, which can possibly be traced to the settlement of the Americas around 14,000 years ago. The same study used preliminary genealogical analyses which revealed that C1e lineage was present in the Icelandic mtDNA pool at least 300 years ago. Due to their small founding population and considerable history of relative isolation, Icelanders have often been considered highly genetically homogeneous as compared to other European populations. For this reason, along with the extensive genealogical records for much of the population that reach back to the settlement of Iceland, Icelanders have been the focus of considerable genomics research by both biotechnology companies and academic and medical researchers. However, one study of mitochondrial DNA, blood groups, and isozymes revealed a more variable population than expected from these genetic standpoints, comparable to the diversity of some other Europeans.[23] Another study shows that quite a big group of Scandinavian males, in particular Norwegians and Icelanders (up to 31% of samples), carry Haplogroup R1a1a (Y-DNA).

text: Results of the mitochondrial DNA studies have been consistent with the genealogical records that trace the ancestry of most Icelanders to Scandinavia, Ireland and Scotland, though there may have been a minor contribution from other European groups. Founder effects and the effects of genetic drift are more pronounced for the Icelandic gene pool than other nearby populations, supporting the assumed genetic isolation of the population.[24]

text: Emigration

text: Greenland

text: The first Europeans to emigrate to and settle in Greenland were Icelanders who did so under the leadership of Erik the Red in the late 10th century, CE and numbered around 500 people. Isolated fjords in this harsh land offered sufficient grazing to support cattle and sheep, though the climate was too cold for cereal crops. Royal trade ships from Norway occasionally went to Greenland to trade for walrus tusks and falcons. The population eventually reached a high point of perhaps 3,000 in two communities and developed independent institutions before fading away during the 15th century.[25] A papal legation was sent there as late as 1492, the year Columbus attempted to find a shorter spice route to Asia but instead encountered the Americas.

text: North America

text: According to the Saga of Eric the Red, Icelandic immigration to North America dates back to Vinland circa 1006. The colony was believed to be short-lived and abandoned by the 1020s. [26] European settlement of the region was not archeologically and historically confirmed as more than legend until the 1960s. The former Norse site, now known as L'Anse aux Meadows, pre-dated the arrival of Colombus in the Americas by almost 500 years.

text: A more recent instance of Icelandic immigration to North America occurred in 1855, when a small group settled in Spanish Fork, Utah.[27] Another Icelandic colony formed in Washington Island, Wisconsin.[28] Immigration to the United States and Canada began in earnest in the 1870s, with most migrants initially settling in the Great Lakes area. These settlers were fleeing famine and overcrowding on Iceland.[29] Today, there are sizable communities of Icelandic descent in both the United States and Canada. Gimli, in Manitoba, Canada, is home to the largest population of Icelanders outside of the main island of Iceland.[30]

text: Culture

text: Language and literature

text: Icelandic, a North Germanic language, is the official language of Iceland (de facto; the laws are silent about the issue). Icelandic has inflectional grammar comparable to Latin, Ancient Greek, more closely to Old English and practically identical to Old Norse.

text: Old Icelandic literature can be divided into several categories, of which three are best known to foreigners: Eddic poetry, skaldic poetry, and saga literature, if saga literature is understood broadly. Eddic poetry is made up of heroic and mythological poems. Poetry that praises someone is considered skaldic poetry or court poetry. Finally Saga literature is prose, ranging from pure fiction to fairly factual history.[31]

text: Written Icelandic has changed little since the 13th century. Because of this, modern readers can understand the Icelanders' sagas. The sagas tell of events in Iceland in the 10th and early 11th centuries. They are considered to be the best-known pieces of Icelandic literature.[32]

text:
Wikisource has original text related to this article:
the Eddas.

text: The elder or Poetic Edda, the younger or Prose Edda, and the sagas are the major pieces of Icelandic literature. The Poetic Edda is a collection of poems and stories from the late 10th century, whereas the younger or Prose Edda is a manual of poetry that contains many stories of Norse mythology.

text: Religion

text: Iceland embraced Christianity in c. AD 1000, in what is called the kristnitaka, and the country, while mostly secular in observance, is still predominantly Christian culturally. The Lutheran church claims some 84% of the total population.[33] While early Icelandic Christianity was more lax in its observances than traditional Catholicism, Pietism, a religious movement imported from Denmark in the 18th century, had a marked effect on the island. By discouraging all but religious leisure activities, it fostered a certain dourness, which was for a long time considered an Icelandic stereotype. At the same time, it also led to a boom in printing, and Iceland today is one of the most literate societies in the world.[21][34]

text: While Catholicism was supplanted by Protestantism during the Reformation, most other world religions are now represented on the island: there are small Protestant Free Churches and Catholic communities, and even a nascent Muslim community, composed of both immigrants and local converts. Perhaps unique to Iceland is the fast-growing Ásatrúarfélag, a legally recognized revival of the pre-Christian Nordic religion of the original settlers. According to the Roman Catholic Diocese of Reykjavík, there were only approximately 30 Jews in Iceland as of 2001.[35] The former First Lady of Iceland Dorrit Moussaieff was an Israeli-born Bukharian Jew.

text: Cuisine

text: Icelandic cuisine consists mainly of fish, lamb, and dairy. Fish was once the main part of an Icelander's diet but has recently given way to meats such as beef, pork, and poultry.[20]

text: Iceland has many traditional foods called Þorramatur. These foods include smoked and salted lamb, singed sheep heads, dried fish, smoked and pickled salmon, and cured shark. Andrew Zimmern, a chef who has traveled the world on his show Bizarre Foods with Andrew Zimmern, responded to the question "What's the most disgusting thing you've ever eaten?" with the response "That would have to be the fermented shark fin I had in Iceland." Fermented shark fin is a form of Þorramatur.[36]

text: Performance art

text: The earliest indigenous Icelandic music was the rímur, epic tales from the Viking era that were often performed a cappella. Christianity played a major role in the development of Icelandic music, with many hymns being written in the local idiom. Hallgrímur Pétursson, a poet and priest, is noted for writing many of these hymns in the 17th century. The island's relative isolation ensured that the music maintained its regional flavor. It was only in the 19th century that the first pipe organs, prevalent in European religious music, first appeared on the island.[37]

text: Many singers, groups, and forms of music have come from Iceland. Most Icelandic music contains vibrant folk and pop traditions. Some more recent groups and singers are Voces Thules, The Sugarcubes, Björk, Sigur Rós, and Of Monsters and Men.

text: The national anthem is "Ó Guð vors lands" (English: "Our Country's God"), written by Matthías Jochumsson, with music by Sveinbjörn Sveinbjörnsson. The song was written in 1874, when Iceland celebrated its one thousandth anniversary of settlement on the island. It was originally published with the title A Hymn in Commemoration of Iceland's Thousand Years.[37]

text: Sports

text: Iceland's national football team has yet to participate in the FIFA World Cup. However they have qualified for the finals of the 2016 European Championship. Their first Olympic participation was in the 1912 Summer Olympics; however, they did not participate again until the 1936 Summer Olympics. Their first appearance at the winter games was at the 1948 Winter Olympics. In 1956, Vilhjálmur Einarsson won the Olympic silver medal for the triple jump.[38] The Icelandic national handball team has enjoyed relative success. The team received a silver medal at the 2008 Olympic Games and a 3rd place at the 2010 European Men's Handball Championship.


document_title: List of A Different World characters

question_text: who played kinu owens on a different world

root

text: List of A Different World characters

text: Main characters[edit]

text: Denise Huxtable[edit]

text:
Portrayer
Seasons
No. of episodes

Lisa Bonet
1
23

tag: table

text: A native of Brooklyn; Denise Huxtable is the daughter of Hillman alumni Cliff and Clair. She enrolled in Hillman and was roommates with Maggie Lauten and Jaleesa Vinson during her sophomore year. Denise was a poor student who often procrastinated and struggled to manage her time and money. She disliked Whitley Gilbert and endured Dwayne Wayne's crush on her. She left Hillman at the end of her sophomore year to travel to Africa. There, she met and married Lt. Martin Kendall of the U.S. Navy and became the stepmother of Olivia Kendall. She only reappears once in season 3 to give Dwayne closure on his crush.

tag: p

text: Note: Denise originated as a regular character on The Cosby Show, on which she was featured on a regular basis during seasons 1–3 and 6–7, and on a recurring basis during seasons 4 and 5. She left "A Different World" after season 1.[1]

text: Dwayne Wayne[edit]

text:
Portrayer
Seasons
No. of episodes

Kadeem Hardison
All 6
136

text: Dwayne Cleofis Wayne is a mathematics major at Hillman. A native of Brooklyn, he achieved a perfect score on the math portion of the SAT. He is best known for his flip up eyeglasses/shades and making unsuccessful advances on numerous women throughout his freshman year. He had a crush on Denise and unsuccessfully ran for the title of "Miss Hillman" at her urging to highlight the sexism of the pageant. His best friend/roommate is Ronald Johnson. He dated Suzanne Taylor although the two broke up because she was not ready to get serious. Although he dated several women across the series, he was most involved in an on-again-off-again relationship with Whitley Gilbert across the series. After working at a summer internship in Japan, he began a relationship with Kinu Owens. However, he broke up with her once he realized he was still in love with Whitley. He graduated from Hillman as valedictorian of Class of 1991 and engaged to Whitley. He became a mathematics professor at Hillman but his engagement with Whitley was broken off when he almost cheated on her. However, during her relationship with Byron Douglas III, the two slept together and he interrupted Whitley and Byron's wedding ceremony to declare his love for her. Whitley left Byron at the altar for Dwayne and the two quickly married. They honeymooned in Los Angeles, which coincided with the 1992 riots following the verdict in the Rodney King trial. At the end of the series, Whitley became pregnant with their first child and he designed a new video game for Kinishewa with Ron. The couple decided to move to Japan for his work. In a reunion special, it was revealed that while at Kinishewa, Dwayne invented the flip cell phone, inspired by his flip glasses. Dwayne would've been in an interracial relationship with Maggie Lauren if actress Marisa Tomei didn't leave the show after season one.

text: Whitley Gilbert-Wayne[edit]

text:
Portrayer
Seasons
No. of episodes

Jasmine Guy
All 6
144

text: Whitley Gilbert-Wayne is Art History and French major at Hillman.[2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9] A native of Richmond (Virginia), she is daughter of Hillman alumni Mercer and Marion Gilbert. She began the series with a snobbish, prissy attitude and disliked by many of the characters although following Denise's departure after season 1, the show was retooled to feature her in the lead.[10] As a consequence, Whitley's character was mellowed out and she was paired romantically with Dwayne, with whom she had an on again-off again relationship. Whitley originally went to college to land a husband although she quickly realized she enjoyed art history and stayed at Hillman for a fifth year to take business courses. After graduation, she was engaged to Dwayne and had a part-time job at E.H. Wright Industries as an assistant art buyer and as a dorm director at Hillman. After learning that Dwayne went on a date with another woman, Whitley broke off their engagement although the two reunited when Whitley cheated on her fiance Byron Douglas III with Dwayne. Still, she was ready to marry Byron until Dwayne interrupted her wedding and declared his love for her. The two eloped and spent their honeymoon in Los Angeles, which coincided with the 1992 riots following the verdict in the Rodney King trial. After being laid off at E.H. Wright Industries, Whitley was employed in a series of odd jobs. At the end of the series, she moves with Dwayne to Japan and is pregnant with the couple's first child.

text: Supporting characters[edit]

text:
Character

Actor

Seasons

1
2
3
4
5
6

Maggie Lauten
Marisa Tomei
Main

Jaleesa Vinson-Taylor
Dawnn Lewis
Main

Stevie Rallen
Loretta Devine
Main

Ronald "Ron" Martin Johnson
Darryl M. Bell
Recurring
Main

Coach Walter Oakes
Sinbad
Recurring
Main

Leticia "Lettie" Bostic
Mary Alice
Main

Kimberly Reese
Charnele Brown

Main

Winifred "Freddie" Brooks
Cree Summer

Main

Colonel Bradford Taylor
Glynn Turman

Main

Vernon Gaines
Lou Myers

Recurring
Main

Gina Deveaux
Ajai Sanders

Recurring
Main

Lena James
Jada Pinkett

Recurring
Main

Charmaine Tyesha Brown
Karen Malina White

Main

text: Maggie Lauten (Marisa Tomei): A "military brat" and journalism major, she is one of the few white students at predominantly African American Hillman. She transferred to Hillman at the start of the sophomore year and was roommates with Denise Huxtable and Jaleesa Vinson. Maggie was a sweet-natured, although occasionally ditzy, girl. If Maggie would have stayed on the show after season one, Debbie Allen (the show's producer from seasons 2-6) would have given her a black boyfriend and there would have been an episode where Dwayne brings her home for Thanksgiving dinner and Dwayne's parents disapproves of his interracial relationship. Due to Marisa Tomei leaving the show after the first season, the story never happened.

text: Jaleesa Vinson-Taylor (Dawnn Lewis): native of Camden (New Jersey), sister of Danielle and Yvonne Vinson, ex-wife of Lamar Collins, enrolled at Hillman at age 25, a business management major, roommate of Denise and Maggie during sophomore year, worked part-time at the Hillman library, assistant dorm director of Gilbert Hall, vacationed in Greece with Maggie during the summer of 1988, roommate of Freddie during junior and senior years, worked a summer installing cable television, entered into serious relationship with Walter, co-dorm director of Gilbert Hall, engaged to Walter, couple halts wedding at the altar and mutually separates, graduated (Class of 1990), accepted an entry-level corporate position, off-campus roommate of Whitley, married Colonel Bradford Taylor (in a surprise elopement), stepmother of Suzanne and Terrence, started a temporary employment agency, gave birth to daughter Imani, disappeared after season five.

text: Stevie Rallen (Loretta Devine): mother of J.T., graduate student dorm director of Gilbert Hall, replaced by Lettie Bostic

text: Ronald Marlon Johnson, Jr. (Darryl M. Bell): native of Detroit (Michigan), son of Ron Johnson Sr. and brother of Rachel Johnson, roommate and best friend of Dwayne, involved in serious relationship with Millie, member of the ROTC pledged Kappa Lambda Nu Fraternity and successfully "crossed over", dated numerous women during most of his college career, worked summers as a salesman for his father's automobile dealership, falsely implied that Dwayne's campaign for student body president was endorsed by former presidential candidate Jesse Jackson, member of the Hillman ROTC, managed/performed in the band X-Pression, graduated after nine semesters (January 1992), victim of a bias incident at Virginia A&M University (on the weekend of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day 1992), band breaks up, employed as spokesman for a phone sex hotline, employed as a car salesman (independent of his father), unemployed, criticized Kimberly's interracial relationship with Matthew (but later admitted he was jealous), entered into serious relationship with Kimberly (after pursuing her for months), antagonist of Shazza, cheated on Kimberly with Freddie (while Freddie was involved with Shazza), broke up with Kimberly, entered into serious relationship with Freddie, manager and co-owner of "The Place Where The Blues Will Be Played" with Mr. Gaines, provided the concept which inspired Dwayne's new video game for Kinishewa, chosen to be godfather of Dwayne and Whitley's unborn child.

text: Walter Oakes (Sinbad): graduate student, football/baseball/basketball/track coach, dorm director of all-male residence hall, involved in serious relationship with Jaleesa, co-dorm director of Gilbert Hall, engaged to Jaleesa, couple halts wedding at the altar and mutually separates, moves to Philadelphia to manage community center.

text: Leticia "Lettie" Bostic (Mary Alice): enrolled in Hillman, dropped out of Hillman a few credits short of her degree, moved to Paris, met Pablo Picasso, spied for the Allies during World War II, rejected marriage proposal from South African freedom fighter Marcus Mpepo, replaced Stevie as dorm director of Gilbert Hall decades later in 1988, chastises Kimberly for engaging in unprotected sex, disappeared after season two.

text: Winifred "Freddie" Brooks (Cree Summer):[11] native of New Mexico, daughter of Joni Brooks, cousin of Matthew, roommate of Jaleesa during freshman and sophomore years, has unrequited feelings for Dwayne, was a student activist throughout her undergraduate career, dated Garth Parks (who almost rapes her), dated Ernest Bennett, roommate of Kimberly during junior and senior years, entered into serious relationship with Shazza Zulu, graduated (Class of 1992), enrolled in Hillman Law School, co-dorm director of Height Hall, cheated on Shazza with Ron (while Ron was involved with Kimberly), broke up with Shazza on Thanksgiving Day 1992, entered into serious relationship with Ron, earned law review membership and completed first year of law school.

text: Kimberly Reese (Charnele Brown):[12] native of Columbus (Ohio), daughter of Clinton Reese, roommate (and best friend) of Whitley during freshman and sophomore years, a biology major, employed by Mr. Gaines at The Pit part-time throughout her undergraduate career, involved in serious relationship with Robert (had a pregnancy "false alarm"), rejected a much-needed scholarship because of the sponsoring corporation's investments in apartheid-controlled South Africa, employed at funeral home part-time, roommate of Freddie during junior and senior years, involved in serious relationship with Matthew, pledged Alpha Delta Rho Sorority and successfully "crossed over", performed in the band X-Pression, graduated (Class of 1992), entered into serious relationship with Ron (after being pursued for months), enrolled in Hillman Medical School, co-dorm director of Height Hall, broke up with Ron, entered into serious relationship with fellow medical student Spencer Boyer, completed first year of medical school, engaged to Spencer (after turning down numerous proposals from him).

text: Colonel Bradford Taylor (Glynn Turman): served in the U.S. Army during the Vietnam War, retired with the rank of colonel, ex-husband of Johanna, father of Suzanne and Terrence, professor of mathematics at Hillman (nicknamed "Dr. War" because of his reputation as a demanding professor), commander of the Hillman ROTC, became Dwayne's primary mentor, was distraught when his former student Zelmer Collier was deployed to the Persian Gulf just before the start of Operation Desert Storm, rejected membership in an all-white country club after being criticized by Terrence, married Jalessa Vinson (in a surprise elopement), brother-in-law of Danielle Vinson, became a father for the third time when Jaleesa gave birth to daughter Imani.

text: Vernon Gaines (Lou Myers): met Lena Horne during World War II; husband of Velma and father of Darnell; uncle of Faith, Hope, Charity and Henrietta; owner and manager of The Pit; employer of Byron Douglas III; employer and father figure of Kimberly; co-owner of apartment building with Velma; frequent critic of his ne'er-do-well son; temporary employer of Whitley; employer of both Lena and Charmaine; co-owner of "The Place Where The Blues Will Be Played" with Ron; reunited with Lena Horne in 1993.

text: Gina Deveaux (Ajai Sanders): family emigrated to the U.S. from Martinique, pledged Alpha Delta Rho Sorority and successfully "crossed over", dated Dion (who physically abused her), pressed charges against Dion and broke up with him, roommate of Lena and Charmaine at the start of junior year, involved in incident that led Charmaine to falsely accuse Terrell of sexual harassment, placed on academic probation, moved off-campus into house (with Lena, Charmaine, Terrell and Dorian), rejected Dion again after he violated probation and contacted her, completed junior year and still enrolled at Hillman.

text: Lena James (Jada Pinkett): native of Baltimore (Maryland), daughter of Grover James, originally an engineering major but later journalism major, named after singer Lena Horne, ended high school relationship with Piccolo, employed by Mr. Gaines at The Pit part-time, developed a brief crush on Dwayne, roommate of Gina and Charmaine at the start of sophomore year, entered into serious (yet celibate) relationship with Dorian, rejected Piccolo's attempt to reconcile, moved off-campus into house (with Gina, Charmaine, Terrell and Dorian), completed sophomore year and still enrolled at Hillman.

text: Charmaine Brown (Karen Malina White): native of Brooklyn (New York), best friend of Claire Huxtable's distant cousin Pam Tucker, began dating Lance Rodman in high school, visited Hillman with Lance during her senior year of high school, roommate of Gina and Lena at the start of her freshman year at Hillman, amazed and annoyed others with her rapid pattern of speech, employed by Mr. Gaines at The Pit part-time, mistakenly accused Terrell of sexual harassment, relationship with Lance ended when he broke up with her by telephone, failed French midterm after she and Terrell were caught cheating, harassed by local residents (along with Terrell), moved off-campus into house (with Gina, Lena, Terrell and Dorian), completed freshman year and still enrolled at Hillman. [Note: Charmaine originated as a recurring character on The Cosby Show. She was featured during seasons 7 and 8 of that series.]

text: Recurring characters[edit]

text:
Millicent ("Millie") (Marie-Alise Recasner): Whitley's confidante and only friend for much of season one, involved in serious relationship with Ron, disappeared after season one (last name unrevealed).
Barnabus Foster (Roscoe Lee Browne): Hillman alumnus and friend of Cliff and Clair Huxtable, professor of English at Hillman (originated as a recurring character on The Cosby Show).
Clair Huxtable (Phylicia Rashād): active Hillman alumna, wife of Cliff, daughter-in-law of Russell, mother of Denise, partner in New York law firm, mother-in-law of Martin Kendall (originated as a leading character on The Cosby Show).
Dean Hughes (Rosalind Cash): Hillman dean of students during seasons two through four (character originated on The Cosby Show)
Marion Gilbert (Diahann Carroll): wealthy socialite and Hillman alumna, crowned Miss Hillman as an undergraduate, mother of Whitley and ex-wife of Mercer, aunt of Liza and Courtney, antagonist of Adele Wayne, mother-in-law of Dwayne. She also sits on the Hillman College's board of trustees.
Julian Day (Dominic Hoffman): exchange student from Georgetown University, entered into serious relationship with Whitley, broke up with Whitley, engaged to marry another woman (Shelby), plans to move to Paris.
Adele Wayne (Patti LaBelle): homemaker, wife of Woodson and mother of Dwayne, antagonist of Marion Gilbert, mother-in-law of Whitley
Ernest Bennett (Rueben Grundy): briefly dated Freddie Brooks.
Mbubunni (Ron Mokwena): international student from apartheid-controlled South Africa, disappeared after season four.
Velma Gaines (Bebe Drake, Ann Weldon): homemaker; wife of Vernon and mother of Darnell; aunt by marriage of Faith, Hope, Charity and Henrietta; co-owner of apartment building with Vernon; frequent apologist for her ne'er-do-well son
Terrence Taylor (Cory Tyler): "military brat", son of Bradford and Johanna Taylor, brother of Suzanne, criticized his father's decision to join an all-white country club, converted to Islam, unsuccessfully attempted to romance Freddie, decided to major in dance (to the initial dismay of his father), pledged Kappa Lambda Nu Fraternity and successfully "crossed over", stepson of Jaleesa, half-brother of Bradford and Jaleesa's baby daughter Imani, disappeared after season five
Kinu Owens (Alisa Gyse Dickens): student at Avery College, worked as summer intern with Kinishewa, entered into serious relationship with Dwayne, broke up with Dwayne because of his lingering feelings for Whitley, graduated, married to another man, employed as an executive with Kinishewa in Tokyo
Matthew (Andrew Lowery):[13] cousin of Freddie, visiting student from Avery College, briefly involved in serious relationship with Kimberly
Shazza Zulu (Gary Dourdan): born Sylvester Simon, matriculated at Hillman for at least six years, changed his name to Shazza Zulu, converted a failing term paper into a book criticizing other African-American men, publicly criticized Kimberly's interracial relationship with Matthew, heavily involved in community activism, entered into serious relationship with Freddie, antagonist of Ron, broke up with Freddie on Thanksgiving Day 1992 (after she cheated on him with Ron), unsuccessfully attempted to renew his relationship with Freddie just prior to Christmas 1992
Byron Douglas III (Joe Morton): son of Byron Douglas II and Imogene Douglas, brother of Troy, enrolled at Hillman, employed by Mr. Gaines at The Pit part-time, graduated, owner of restaurant chain years later, announced candidacy for the Virginia state senate, entered into serious relationship with Whitley, forgives Whitley after she cheats on him with Dwayne, elected to the Virginia state senate, engaged to Whitley, rejected during the wedding ceremony by Whitley (who married Dwayne immediately thereafter)
Terrell Walker (Patrick Y. Malone): native of Brooklyn (New York), achieved a combined score of 1500 (out of 1600) on the SAT, roommate of Dorian at the start of freshman year, falsely accused of sexual harassment by Charmaine, failed French midterm after he and Charmaine were caught cheating, harassed by local residents (along with Charmaine), almost expelled for carrying a gun on campus, moved off-campus into house (with Gina, Lena, Charmaine, and Dorian), completed freshman year and still enrolled at Hillman
Dorian Heywood (Bumper Robinson): born-again Christian, star player on the Hillman basketball team, roommate of Terrell at the start of freshman year, entered into serious (yet celibate) relationship with Lena, uncharacteristically entered into physical altercation with Piccolo over Lena, moved off-campus into house (with Gina, Lena, Charmaine, and Terrell), completed freshman year and still enrolled at Hillman
Spencer Boyer (Michael Ralph): emigrated to the U.S. from Jamaica, enrolled at Hillman Medical School, entered into serious relationship with Kimberly, completed first year of medical school, engaged to Kimberly (after numerous proposals from him were turned down)
Dorothy Dandridge Davenport (Jenifer Lewis): Hillman dean of students during season six. Known for placing unruly students "on her list!"

tag: ul