Speaking Engagements
About Rita Coburn
Rita Coburn is a Peabody and Emmy Award-winning Director, Writer, and Producer of radio, television, and film. Beginning her career as a producer and writer for various news outlets across the U.S., Coburn went on to produce for the likes of The Oprah Winfrey Show, Oprah Radio, Apollo Live!, and Walt Disney Productions. In 2016, Maya Angelou: And Still I Rise, which was co-directed and co-produced by Coburn, premiered at the 2016 Sundance Festival and went on to win a Peabody Award in 2017. Coburn directed Marian Anderson: The Whole World in Her Hands, which premiered nationwide on February 8, 2022 on PBS American Masters. On May 19, 2026, her third documentary for American Masters, W.E.B. Du Bois: Rebel With A Cause, will air. Check local listings for the premiere and additional airings.
Coburn’s value is such that she bridges the gap between generations and preserves African-American history. Through her work, she uniquely addresses topics from a multi-generational lens with a passion for impacting others through the untold stories of prominent figures and key ideals relevant to African-American culture.
Speaking Topics
Press Videos
Upcoming Events
The Celebrate! Maya Project of Arkansas / CALS Ron Robinson Theater
Event Date: October 9, 2026
Event Location: Little Rock, AR
Program: Annual FriendRaiser & Scholarship Drive honoring the legacy of Dr. Maya Angelou
Stories That Change the World: W.E.B. Du Bois: A Rebel with a Cause. Screening followed by a conversation with filmmaker Rita Coburn and former NFL player and Netflix executive Wade Davis. 2:00–5:00 PM; doors open at 1:30 PM.
University of Cambridge
Event Date: October 15, 2026
Event Location: Cambridge, United Kingdom
Program: W.E.B. Du Bois: Rebel With A Cause screening and conversation at the University of Cambridge, hosted through Rev. Dr. Alisha Lola Jones.
W.E.B. Du Bois: Rebel With a Cause - London Premiere & Conversation
Event Date: October 18, 2026
Event Time: Doors Open at 3:00 PM, 3:30-6:00 PM Screening & Conversation
Program: W.E.B. DuBois Rebel With A Cause Documentary & post-screen conversation
Venue: Charlotte Street Hotel,
15–17 Charlotte Street,
London W1T 1RJ
You and a guest are invited to the London premiere of W.E.B. Du Bois: Rebel With a Cause, a film by Rita Coburn, narrated by Viola Davis, featuring Common, Jeffrey Wright, and Courtney B. Vance, with original music by Kathryn Bostic.
Screening | W.E.B. Du Bois: Rebel With A Cause
Event Date: October 18, 2026
Event Location: The ARCH Auditorium, Penn Campus, Philadelphia, PA
Program: We are pleased to share information about an upcoming screening of award-winning filmmaker Rita Coburn’s documentary W.E.B. Du Bois: Rebel With A Cause on Thursday, October 22, 2026. The film, which is part of PBS’s American Masters series, speaks to themes that resonate across many parts of the Penn community, and we hope you might help share the opportunity with your audiences through your newsletters, calendars, social media channels, and other communications.
Provost Jackson will provide opening remarks, which will be followed by a 40-minute or so excerpt from the film (the documentary runs for just short of 2 hours) and a moderated conversation with Ms. Coburn.
The program will be followed by a reception. A quick program summary is as follows:
Date: Thursday, October 22, 2026
Time: 4:30 p.m. 7:30 p.m. – Possible flow
4:30 | Remarks by Provost Jackson
4:50 | Film Excerpts (selected by Ms. Coburn)
5:30 | Moderated Conversation with Ms. Coburn
6:15 | Audience Q&A
6:30 | Reception
Past Events
International African American Museum - W.E.B. DuBois Rebel With A Cause Documentary
9/24/2026 - Charleston, SC
University of Massachusetts Amherst - University Libraries Fall Reception
9/18/2026 - Amherst, MA
Gordon Parks Documentary Film Festival
8/3/2026 - Chautauqua, NY
Emmy Chicago
5/15/2026 - Chicago, IL
The New School
4/27/2026 - New York, NY
The Black Hollywood Education and Resource Center
3/20/2026 - Los Angeles, CA
15th Annual Greater Cleveland Urban Film Festival
9/21/2026 - Cleveland, OH
Martha's Vineyard African American Film Festival
8/10/2026 - Oak Bluffs, MA
The New Olivet Worship Center
5/18/2026 - Memphis, TN
Gene Siskel Film Center
5/2/2026 - Chicago, IL
Clark Atlanta University
4/1/2026 - Atlanta, GA
Manhattan Neighborhood Network & Black Public Media
2/19/2026 - New York, NY