40 mins
Maxine Thomas-Asante
Approaches Manager - Pop Culture at Comic Relief
Maxine is a racial justice practitioner and Approaches Manager - Pop Culture at Comic Relief. Maxine drives the Power of Pop Fund, a pooled fund, supporting organisations who use arts, creativity and the entertainment sector to advance justice (in particular racial and migrant justice). The Power of Pop Fund currently supports two great cohorts of funded partners and looks forward to funding a third cohort soon.
Maxine’s work in racial justice has engaged both the education and funding sectors, as a researcher, consultant, facilitator and, now, grantmaker. Her work proactively centres the voices of communities experiencing social challenges, from her earliest days in student politics to, now, championing communities in a broader purview.
In addition to her professional work, Maxine also has an academic interest in themes of justice and social change. Her award winning masters (2021) at the London School of Economics and Political Sciences asked: To What Extent Can the Equality Act 2010 Be Considered a ‘Radical’ Act, Contributing to Black Liberation and Recognition in Britain? Fundamentally she believes in the potential of arts to facilitate radical imagination and mobilise people en mass towards social transformation.
Maxine has spoken for: Universities UK, Times Higher Education, Westminster Briefing and has contributed to a Guardian article by Harriet Swain. She is also a Fellow of the Royal Society of the Arts, and a Diana Award holder.