The 4th Annual American Black Film Festival Honors was held at the Beverly Hilton Hotel this past Sunday, February 23rd.  The annual awards presentation celebrates African American artists who have made distinguished contributions to the entertainment industry, as champions of diversity in Hollywood.

Award winning Actor Rob Morgan (Mudbound, Stranger Things, Just Mercy). Courtesy Getty Images.

The event started with a red carpet presentation staged for the media, where credentialed news journalists, photographers, print and online outlets were invited to take photographs and conduct one on one interviews.

Multi-award winning actor Rob Morgan, known for Mudbound and Stranger Things, and his most recent films, Just Mercy, and The Photograph, took his red carpet opportunity to showcase a few dance moves, once he saw the ‘ChicagoNow.com’ news placard.

Just Mercy Producer and Writer Bryan Stevenson speaks to the media at the 51st NAACP Image Awards on February 22nd at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium, Pasadena CA.   Photographer Daina Howze. Courtesy DVIDEO 79 Productions.

“We’re ‘Chicago Now’!  We got to get to some steppin’, right?  And as Rob continued to dance with DVIDEO 79 Productions’ Interviewer Daina Howze,  he got her tangled in a few of his ‘steppin’ twirls’.   “I’m chained up to a microphone.  What do you know about steppin’?,” Daina laughed. “We need some music!”

DVIDEO 79 Productions’ Daina Howze and Don Howze covers media and red carpet event at the 51st NAACP Image Awards on February 22nd, at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium, Pasadena, CA.

Rob says the ‘steppin’  dance style has been a mainstay in Chicago’s African American communities for over 40 years.   “I call it ‘the Black Salsa’,” explains Rob. “That’s what I love about steppin’, its about that connection between a man and a woman.  Especially in our community.”

Though Rob lives on the east coast, he says he still has fond memories of partying on Chicago’s southside. “I used to go to the 50 Yard Line in the Chi {sic’ Chicago}, hung out with Pete, Chapman, Tick Man and all those steppers.”

Rob says there’s thousands of steppin’ lovers in and around his home town New York.  He says his passion for steppin’ keeps him on the dance floor.  “I’ve been taking classes in New York.  We have a big steppin’ crowd there.  And in New Jersey. So we steppin’!

Other ABFF honorees and award recipients that graced the red carpet  include Oscar winner Jamie Foxx,  who was presented with the prestigious Excellence in the Arts Award, Oscar winner Louis Gossett Jr. with the Hollywood Legacy Award, Emmy winner Lena Waithe with the Industry Renaissance Award, and Oscar nominee Cynthia Erivo with the Rising Star Award.  ABFF also presented HBO’s The Wire with the Classic Television Award and the highly successful film, Just Mercy with the  Movie of the Year Award.

About the Author:  Don Howze is an Emmy Award Winning Film/Tape Editor and Associate Professor of Journalism and Television Production.  His Emmy Nominated documentary ‘ A Star For Marvin Gaye’ will premiere this fall on Amazon Prime Video.  Don Howze is producer and director of the upcoming film documentary The Production Crew, funded in part by the Field Foundation of Illinois.  imdb.me/dondvideo