The Drum appoints Dr Robert Beckford to its board of directors
Press Release
Immediate:
1 September 2009
Prof. Upkar Pardesi, Chair of The Drum and Director of Corporate Social Responsibility at Birmingham City University, has today announced the appointment of Dr Robert Beckford to the board of directors of The Drum, the UK’s premier Black arts centre.
Dr Robert Beckford grew up in Birmingham and is an educator, author and BAFTA award-winning broadcaster. Beckford first taught adult literacy at Bournville College in Birmingham in the early 1990s and progressed to become the first ever tutor in Black Theology at Queens College, Birmingham (1992-8) where he taught trainee priests and ministers for the Anglican and Methodist churches.
He began teaching at the University of Birmingham in 1999, working first as a Research Fellow with Black offenders at Birmingham Prison and then moving to the faculty as the first Lecturer in Black Theology in 2001. He spent two years as the Reader in Black Theology and Popular Culture at Oxford Brookes University, and is currently a Visiting Professor at Goldsmiths College, University of London.
“I am really delighted to welcome Dr Beckford onto The Drum board” said Prof. Pardesi. “His work with young people from the African-Caribbean and Asian communities in Birmingham as well as his distinguished career as a broadcaster and author is a real asset to our organisation. His contribution will be particularly beneficial as we embark on the development of a digital and media strategy designed to enhance our artistic programme and to underpin our multimedia training and development courses” he added.
ENDS
MEDIA CONTACT: Jennie Gentles, Director of Communications on 0121 333 2420 or e-mail: j.gentles@the-drum.org.uk
Notes to Editors:The Drum is the national centre for Black British culture and arts, dedicated to developing and promoting contemporary art and culture of British African, Asian and Caribbean communities. Through its various initiatives, The Drum continually strives to become a centre of national and international renown firmly rooted within its local community.
The Drum’s ambition is to lead and facilitate the development, celebration, performance and exhibition of the diversity of Black arts and cultures for the benefit of all. It is a place where contemporary Black arts flourish and are enjoyed, nurturing and broadening the appreciation of these arts for audiences and participants from the whole community – Black and White.
Online Bookings: www.the-drum.org.uk
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