TheGrio presents ‘Black & Proud,’ with Ianne Fields Stewart
“I found that overall, the industry is not really interested in deepening or widening the breadth of stories that can be told,” Stewart tells theGrio.
Ianne Fields Stewart lives authentically in truth and prefers people to use she/her or they/them pronouns. In this episode of “Black & Proud,” the queer, trans-feminine storyteller highlights her work in both theater and activism.
“I’m constantly navigating the space between myself as an actress who is a vessel for someone else’s words and ideas and my own role as an organizer,” they say.
Stewart is an inspiring individual making a significant impact in the realms of media and activism. They hope to use their previous work, which includes an appearance in the groundbreaking FX show “Pose” and “The Bold Type,” to help foster change in an industry that still often overlooks Black, trans and queer women.
“I found that overall, the industry is not really interested in deepening or widening the breadth of stories that can be told,” Stewart says.
Their work goes beyond their formidable presence in the acting world, as they actively use their talents as a community organizer to create positive change. She/They stay loyally dedicated to disrupting the status quo by creating spaces where entertainment, nourishment, self-love and care are accessible to those in the most marginalized sectors of the community. Stewart is centering their career and activism in a world that would help Black queer and transgender people experience the joys of life, moments that don’t have to include past traumas.
To be Black and proud is to recognize the diversity within the Black community and celebrate the intersections of identities and experiences. It means supporting and amplifying the voices of Black LGBTQ+ individuals, Black disabled individuals and other marginalized groups within the broader Black community.
Being Black and proud for Stewart, they say, means “I have a hard time separating pride and Blackness because I don’t think they work without each other.”
“My Blackness has taught me to be proud, just as my pride has taught me to be proud,” Stewart adds. “Those things work together, definitely not a part, so I think my Blackness birthed my pride.”
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