The North Dakota Human Rights Film and Arts Festival is excited to welcome Frederick Edwards as Director of Black Cinema and Programming. The position is new to the festival and was created to extend the festival’s reach and engagement with Black artists and filmmakers working to document relevant human rights, civil rights, and social justice stories.

Fred is an alumnus of North Dakota State University. He recently received his master’s degree in Education. He is the co-owner of Umoja Leadership Exploration and the creator of FredsDissonance. Fred is a community engagement specialist, motivational speaker, community educator, program coordinator, and spoken word artist from North Minneapolis.

His experiences speak through him with the energy he provides. He is passionate about helping others find their inner greatness and potential. He currently does writing workshops with hundreds of college, high school, and middle school students. Fred provides testimonies and stories of struggle and resiliency. With nine brothers and sisters, Fred is the tenth and last child. Before he was born, his mother had her tubes tied—she had a .0001% chance of becoming pregnant after her last child. Fred was that .0001%.

The North Dakota Human Rights Film and Arts Festival returns to Fargo November 1-5, 2022, to celebrate its 6th season. Encore screenings and community discussions will take place in Bismarck, Grand Forks, Jamestown, and Minot through December. All screenings, artist’s workshops, and community discussions are free and open to the public. For updates about the festival, visit www.ndhrff.org.