A film screening, coat drive and fundraising event that provides material resources for recent African and Caribbean immigrant communities in New York City. The event champions African and Caribbean solidarity through a selection of a Trinidadian short film directed by Raven Irabor and SIRA Marissa Lewis titled She Island, and the West African feature length film, Ainsi Meurent Les Anges (And So Angels Die) directed by Moussa Sène Absa.
All of the donated winter materials will be collected and donated to the non-profit organization Families for Freedom. We are collecting donations that will be sent directly to a young woman in Haiti that has been affected by displacement and the political violence that is taking place in Port -au-Prince, Haiti. Your donation will help to provide food and any other immediate and necessary resources.
The event is free and open to the public.
This event is in collaboration with NIANIBA and the non profit organization Families For Freedom.
MODERATOR
Shameekia Shantel Johnson is a writer, curator, and researcher of Afro-Caribbean ancestry from New York City. Working from the critical framework of social architecture, she considers the multidimensional relationship between people, politics, narrative, and environment. Currently, Johnson is perfecting her nomenclature, Red Notes, an ongoing body of work investigating Black people’s psycho-spiritual-affective relationship to the color red and its presence in social space. Through the lens of color theory and synesthesia, Red Notesexamines the chromatic intensity of red—its ability to evoke desire and distress while noting the connective tissue between body, memory, and environment. Red Notes is an interdisciplinary experience tracing cultural movements and embodied phenomena, turning fragments into a (in)complete image of Black expression.
FILMAKER IN DISCUSSION
Raven Irabor is a Pan-African image maker, director, and curator based between New York City and Los Angeles. Her work celebrates the beauty, complexity, and imagination of the African Diaspora, weaving together fashion, movement, and storytelling to inspire reflection and connection. Raised in the Bronx by Trinidadian and Nigerian parents, Raven draws from her multicultural roots to create visuals that feel both personal and expansive. Her directing portfolio includes projects for Meta, Complex, InStyle Magazine, The Folklore, McDonald’s, and Blavity, with her debut music video featured on Girl In Film. As a producer, she has led projects for Apple, Farfetch, and Food Network, and her acclaimed web series Lea the Late Bloomer was named one of the best Black web series of 2019 by Shadow & Act. As a curator, she uplifts artists of the Diaspora, creating platforms for storytelling and introspection, most notably through Last Night I Cried...Unveiling Liminal Spaces. Her short film She Island, which premiered at the 2025 Caribbean Film Festival, delves into Caribbean womanhood. Raven co-founded The Roux Collective and serves as a mentor for Black Girls in Media. Her work has garnered recognition from prestigious platforms such as the Los Angeles Fashion Film Festival, Hypebae, Grown Magazine, Seek Her, Neu Neu Media, Vogue UK, New Inc, Gen-Zine, Miami Web Fest, and A.R.T.S.Y Magazine. Raven’s ultimate vision is to build a creative studio in Harlem that nurtures artists and amplifies Diasporic voices across the world.
POST DISCUSSION MODERATOR
Houreidja Tall is culture writer who explores the stories of people across the African diaspora, highlights communities that are disregarded by traditional media and shows the nuances in their lives. She earned her master’s degree in Engagement Journalism from The Craig Newmark Graduate School Journalism at CUNY.
