The New Black Film Collective presents a Town Hall Debate –
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TOPIC: THE HOUSE NEGRO VS THE FIELD NEGRO
Choosing your Community over Commodifying your Culture (Part 2)
Join us for a dynamic and thought-provoking virtual town hall discussion that will also engage the audience to bring together voices from across the screen industries to tackle pressing issues that continue to affect our communities.
This interactive session will feature a panel of industry professionals who will share their insights, lived experiences, and strategies for driving real change. Whether you're a creative, a student, or simply passionate about progress in the arts, this event is for you.
The House Negro vs The Field Negro, the political speech by the great leader Malcolm X - a rallying conversation and call to action to challenge the divide and break the mindset on and off screen.
Expect open and honest dialogue and practical solutions.
Host: Brother Hakim
Special Guests: Rianna Scipio, Professor Robert Beckford
Rianna Scipio helps outliers, disruptors, and unconventional thinkers embrace their true selves, earn authentically, and come alive—without fear, compromise, or waiting for permission.
They understand what it feels like to be an outsider in your own life, to dim your light so others feel comfortable, and to have big, world-changing ideas but hesitate to bring them to life because of fear of judgment, rejection, or being “too much.”
Formerly a BBC journalist, Rianna lived behind a perfectly polished image that looked powerful on the outside but felt completely disconnected on the inside.
For years, they sought approval and followed a path that never truly felt like their own. Behind the external success, they battled self-doubt, burnout, and addiction—all while trying to meet expectations that weren’t even theirs.
Professor Robert Beckford is scholar-activist researching the intersections of faith and racial justice in and through diverse media texts. He has written a dozen books which triangulate the fields of theology, cultural studies and politics.
Beckford is a BAFTA award winning documentary filmmaker. He has written and presented over twenty films for the BBC, Channel 4 and Discovery USA. His films explore a range of themes including political critiques of the British Empire, biblical history and popular culture.
Robert’s creative reach extends into drama and black British urban music production. In 2017, his debut radio drama was broadcast on the BBC Regions. ‘Jesus Piece’ is a fictional account of a reformed gang member turned Pentecostal preacher-detective. Beckford’s current research is a practical theo-musicological project ‘The Jamaican Bible Remix Project’. Taking the form of a studio album, the project inscribes black liberation theology in urban music (grime, drum and bass, and UK Soul).