Spelman Honors Samuel L. Jackson, LaTanya Richardson Jackson With Renovated Performing Arts Center

LaTanya Richardson Jackson and Samuel L. Jackson attend The 76th Annual Tony Awards at United Palace Theater on June 11, 2023 in New York City. Photo: Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for Tony Awards Productions

Spelman College celebrated their newly renovated performing arts center with a dedication. The center was dedicated to alumna LaTanya Richardson Jackson and her actor husband Samuel L. Jackson, who the performing arts center is now named after.

The ceremony took place during SpelHouse’s homecoming weekend. It included the unveiling of a new mural on campus that embodies the couples’ “lifetime of achievements in the arts,” according to Spelman.edu.

The couple who met while attending Spelman and Morehouse donated $5 million to renovate the Rockefeller Fine Arts Building. The contribution marked the largest alumnae donation in Spelman’s history. Also, they raised additional support for the renovation which totaled at $17.3 million for the entire project.

“Sam and I are continually invested in the success of Spelman College because Spelman first invested so much in us,” said Richardson Jackson in a statement. “Everything I know, all of my beginnings were in this building. It is an honor for us to help support the school’s vital mission, and to ensure that it continues to serve as a space of inspiration and training for the next generation of leaders. May the unveiling of this glorious mural be an inspiration to the beautiful artists past, present and future who walk these halls.”