Clifford White, Jr.
Amid the pandemic, The Festival Fellows participated in the Babel Film Workshop global stay-at-home filmmaking initiative, Film Stylo. Their films, made as part of the initiative, are featured here and on the Film Stylo international archive of student films documenting their lives during this historical time. Below is Clifford's Film Stylo project.
Do you know what it means to be black
Not by the color of your skin or the way that you act
No, No
Do you truly know what it means to be black you always have to be engaged and invested in every conversation because there’s constantly a correlation
Between Ancestral displacement
And cultural appropriation
No, No, No, No
When it comes down to
The display of beautiful black faces gored
And disgruntled piercing eyes
Mirroring that hate that influence
Which came from the despised who lied to protect their egos from our unwilling submission under a condition which convicted and scorched tradition
All of which you taught
Beautiful black bodies captivating and colorful minds bloody hands and fabricated time kept my people in bind
Bondage became another hurdle
Then segregation then Jim Crow
Another replica of The Birth Of A Nation
Now a man who’s in office
Trying to Make America the greatest
No, no, no
Just trying to continue Making America Racist
#GoOut&Vote
Clifford White, Jr.
Clifford White Jr. (He/His/Him) is attending Achievement First Amistad High School and is in the 11th Grade. He is a young Entrepreneur, Entertainer, and a Legend in the making. Clifford plans to be the CEO of his own Corporation which manages and develops promising Artists and promotes the ideals of talented artists varying in age, race, sexuality, and ethnicity. At the same time he will manage his own career and music. Recently in The Fellowship Program, he was placed in a group with three other talented individuals and they were able to get a word in with him where he wrote due to the Quarantine. His last few days in the group had been amazingly encouraging and inspirational being that he’s been struggling with his own character development and felt convicted because of his surroundings and the lack of support he received from his community in which he felt was improbable for any artist to grow and develop.
“I almost lost my way but I realized a higher power would put people in your life when necessary and to be able to meet people who are all on their grind and got all their stuff together is refreshing”.
Initially Clifford heard about the program yet still wasn’t really sure about what exactly the program stood for, entering the program and growing many talented Artists made him feel like a true artist, exceeding the limited expectations set by society and going about his work there and from with his own expectations and criteria of what his work should look and sound like. Some fun facts about Clifford are; his favorite color is green, his Favorite Artists range from Beyoncé, Kendrick Lamar, 2Pac, and Big L, Mary J. Blige, Jodeci, Teddy Pendergrass, Anita Baker, (He has a lot of Favorite Artists) and in his free time he loves to pretend to perform and spend time with his friends.