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Ashley Banjo: Britain in Black and White, sees Ash

Ashley Banjo: Britain in Black and White, sees Ashley Banjo investigate the backlash to Diversity's Black Lives Matter routine on Britain's Got Talent last year.

The performance which referenced the death of George and the Black Lives Matter movement drew 30,000 Ofcom complaints.

"My world changed with one performance…that moment was scary and I just thought, what have we done?'"

Despite the controversy, Diversity won the BAFTA TV award for Must-See Moment of the year.

In the documentary, @ashleybanjogram seeks answers as to why the performance caused such negative reactions from some of the public and speaks to a range of people including Britain’s Got Talent judge Alesha Dixon and Jim Davidson.

Ashley Banjo: Britain in Black and White is on ITV at 9pm tonight, the 19th of October.

#createchange #racism #equality #socialjustice

In honour of Black History Month, Will.i.am has ma

In honour of Black History Month, Will.i.am has made a documentary, The Blackprint, where he investigates what it means to be Black in Britain today.

In the documentary the rapper discusses the pivotal moments in British history that have impacted the youth of today and meets some civil rights heroes from the UK, along with celebrity friends and other inspirational members of the Black British community.

Will also explores the similarities between his home the US, and here in the UK, relating to opportunities, police brutality and racial injustice as a whole.

“I really want[ed] to know what life was like for inner-city London kids that were like me…”

Will.i.am has been vocal in his support of racial equality, the Black Lives Matter movement, and other social justice causes during his career and has spoken of his passion and his visions for the future of education for disadvantaged youths.

You can catch The Blackprint on ITV at 9pm tonight, the 14th of October.

#createchange #racism #equality #socialjustice #blackhistorymonth

Today, 5th October 2021 marks the 10th anniversary

Today, 5th October 2021 marks the 10th anniversary of Steve Jobs' death at age 56, after a long battle with pancreatic cancer.

The inventor, designer, entrepreneur, and co-founder of Apple, had an incredible influence on the world of technology, society and culture and is highly regarded as one of the most remarkable innovators of modern times.

His impact reached people from all walks of life, who were inspired by his approach in business and touched by his passion and creativity.

#stevejobs #apple #createchange

The Blue Paradox: An Immersive Experience, a free

The Blue Paradox: An Immersive Experience, a free event which aims to highlight the plastic pollution in our oceans, runs until 27th September 2021, at Exhibition, London.

Up to 23 million metric tons of plastic end up in rivers, lakes, and oceans each year and these plastics, which can take hundreds of years to decompose, impact marine life, ecosystems, and food chains.

Plastic pollution has now become a global crisis which requires the collective efforts of everyone including governments, companies, and individuals to help to make a difference.

‘The ocean gives us life in every beautiful, surprising, fascinating, and spellbinding way imaginable. But as much as we depend on the oceans to survive, future generations depend on us’ – The Blue Paradox

For each person that attends the Blue Paradox event, a donation to Conservation International’s Ocean protection efforts will be made to help protect 1 square kilometre of ocean.

To reserve your ticket, please visit www.blueparadox.com

#ocean #plasticpollution #event #createchange #action #pollution #environment

‘Everybody’s Talking about Jamie’, the featu

‘Everybody’s Talking about Jamie’, the feature film adaptation of the popular West End musical written by Tom MacRae, is centred around 16-year-old student Jamie, who has dreams of becoming a drag queen.

Based on true events, the film follows Jamie’s journey into the spotlight, where he encounters prejudice and heartache but also great support and allyship.

The film is directed by Jonathan Butterell, and stars Max Harwood and Sarah Lancashire and is said to be a feel-good coming-of-age story about self-expression and finding one’s place in the world, whist challenging prejudices in society.

“It’s…for people who feel like they’re outsiders, for people who don’t feel like they fit in. I think that’s the big reason it speaks to people, because so many of us feel like that.”- Tom MacRae.

'Everybody’s Talking About Jamie' will be released this Friday 17 September 2021, on Amazon Prime.

#createchange #jamie #lgbtq #lgbgtq+ #tommacrae

Today the 13th of September, marks the 25th annive

Today the 13th of September, marks the 25th anniversary of the passing of the iconic West Coast rapper, Tupac Amaru Shakur.

Tupac, also known by his stage name 2Pac & his alias Makaveli, was a rapper, songwriter, and actor starring in films such as Poetic Justice & Juice.

He was widely known and loved for his ‘lyrical poetry’ and is considered one of the most influential rappers of all time as he passionately challenged and addressed societal inequality and injustice through his work.

Shakur become one of the best-selling music artists of all time, having sold over 75 million records worldwide with albums such as 2Pacalypse Now and All Eyez on Me. His work has gone on to inspire a generation of rappers, and his legacy lives on to this day.

Today we pay tribute to the memory of one of the greats.

RIP Tupac Shakur

#Tupac #createchange #equality

Tune in to Channel 4 this Friday 10th September, f

'Misfits: A Personal Manifesto', Michaela Coel’s

'Misfits: A Personal Manifesto', Michaela Coel’s eagerly awaited debut book is said to be a manifesto dedicated to anyone who has ever worried about ‘fitting in’.

The book draws on topics from her triumphant lecture at the Edinburgh Festival in 2018, the first by a non-white industry figure, where she spoke about class, gender, and racism, specifically the racial barriers she experienced as a young black woman working in the television industry, as well as touching on her sexual assault experience.

During the lecture, the East London born ‘I May Destroy You’ actor and creator, provided her own definition of the word Misfits:

“The term misfits takes on dual notions; a misfit is one who looks at life differently. Many however, are made into misfits because life looks at them differently; the UK’s black, Asian, and ginger communities for example … The term can be cross-generational and crosses concepts of gender or culture, simply by a desire for transparency, a desire to see another’s point of view. Misfits who visibly fit in will sometimes find themselves merging with the mainstream, for a feeling of safety”

The book is released today, the 7th of September.

#michaelacoel #misfits #createchange #inclusion

Look who's back! Sir Lenny Henry will host the th

Look who's back!

Sir Lenny Henry will host the third annual Visionary Honours taking place at BAFTA 195 Piccadilly London on Tuesday 1st February 2022.

Make sure to save the date for the UK's only social impact awards for culture, media & entertainment.

Tickets on sale soon.

#LennyHenry #VisionaryHonours #CreateChange

The Normal Heart, directed by Dominic Cooke is a g

The Normal Heart, directed by Dominic Cooke is a ground-breaking play about the AIDS crisis in New York City in the early 1980s, a time of fear, confusion and anger due to ignorance by the government and medical establishments which led to a fast rising death toll.

It is said to be based on playwright Larry Kramer’s own first-hand experiences during the crisis, those which lead to him to set up the Gay Men’s Health Crisis (GMHC), the world’s first and leading provider of HIV/AIDS prevention, care and advocacy.

The play follows the story of Ned Weeks, an activist who with the help of others, campaigns for awareness and fights to change the world around him, whilst dealing with the ill health and death of loved ones due to the illness.

The cast includes Liz Carr, Daniel Monks, Danny Lee Wynter and Ben Daniels who plays the role of Ned Weeks.

“It is the rarest of things: a history play written by one of its key participants. It deals with the nature of political activism, the internal battle many LGBT people fight to feel worthy of love and, topically, the refusal of those in power to face the reality of an unfolding health crisis” - Ben Daniels

The play runs from 23rd September 21 – 6th November 21, at the National Theatre, Southbank, marking 35 years since its UK premiere.

#gayrights #lgbtq+ #lgbtcommunity #createchange #equality #thenormalheart

Maybe I Don't Belong Here: A Memoir of Race, Iden

Maybe I Don't Belong Here: A Memoir of Race, Identity, Breakdown and Recovery, is British actor David Harewood’s debut book, set for release in September.

The book follows on from his BBC documentary ‘Psychosis and Me’ in which he explored what led to the psychotic breakdown he experienced in his early twenties which saw him sectioned under the Mental Health Act.

In the book, the Homeland actor gives his personal account of growing up both Black and British, and the examines the impact of racism on Black mental health in our society.

Black British men are 10 times more likely to suffer psychosis than their White counterparts and Black people are four times more likely to be detained under the Mental Health Act than White people.

The book covers systemic racism in conjunction with Black mental health and explores what is needed to dismantle the systems and challenge the biases that continue to shape the society we live in.

@davidharewood will be discussing his memoir, race and mental health with David Olusoga at @southbankcentre on 2nd September.

#mentalhealth #race #racism #createchange

Crazy Rich Asians actress Gemma Chan, has recently

Crazy Rich Asians actress Gemma Chan, has recently spoken out on the lack of representation and diversity within the film industry, particularly in positions of power.

‘Individual successes are one thing. But structurally, when you look at who can get projects green-lit in the UK, who are in those positions of power, those gatekeeping positions – there aren’t that many Asians. There aren’t many people of colour in those positions’

This is not the first time Gemma has used her platform to promote change, she was vocal in her activism helping to raise awareness on #blacklivesmatter and #stopasianhate campaigns during the pandemic.

She believes that the different campaigns fighting for racial equality around the world need to work together to help us to see change.

‘If only black people care about Black Lives Matter, then nothing’s gonna change. And if only Asians are talking about Stop Asian Hate, nothing is going to change. And it’s only when we stick up for one another, and we stand side by side, that things will shift.’

Chan will play the lead role of Sersi in upcoming Marvel film Eternals.

#createchange #equality #diversity

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