#LeadershipTuesdays: Follow Your Heart...April Reign

"Find something that speaks to your passion early and determine how you can create a career around that. So don't necessarily do the thing that someone told you you are supposed to do or what you think is expected of you. But, do something that truly speaks to your heart."

--April Reign, Creator of #OscarsSoWhite

On Tuesdays, womenatliberty.com presents Leadership Tuesdays, a platform for a variety of voices and resources to develop, encourage and strengthen women leaders. Today, we present the second part of a two part interview with April Reign, the creator of the hashtag #OscarsSoWhite. She is an attorney, public speaker, activist and Social Media Strategist.

With the creation of #OscarsSoWhite and her subsequent utilization of her expanded platform to amplify diverse voices on issues important to people and women of color, Reign has provided a textbook example of how to use social media to create social change. She has also created other hashtags like #NoConfederate to moblize a campaign against a period drama series titled "Confederate" that HBO greenlit in July 2017. The series envisions what life would be like in the United States if slavery had not been abolished. #ReignyDayJobs is another one of her creations where she provides a space on Twitter for both candidates and recruiters to tweet about their availability and job openings.

April's career advice to others is discover your passion as early as possible and determine how you can build a career around that. Be true to yourself and follow your heart.

To view the interview, click on the video below. For more information on LeadershipTuesdays, go to womenatliberty.com. The 2018 Oscars Awards take place Sunday, March 4. For more information, go to Oscars.com.

#LeadershipTuesdays: Seize This Day...Akiroq Brost

"Seize this day. Make the most of it. Don't make excuses. Focus on what you can do...today and take advantage of this precious time you were given."

--Akiroq Brost

On Tuesdays, womenatliberty.com presents Leadership Tuesdays, a platform for a variety of voices and resources to develop, encourage and strengthen women leaders. Today, in the second part of a two part series, we talk with April Reign, the creator of the hashtag #OscarsSoWhite. She is an attorney, public speaker, activist and Social Media Strategist.

Many remember the #OscarsSoWhite hashtag that started trending on Twitter and made headlines around the world after the Oscars nominations were announced in January 2015. "Oscars So White" was a reaction to the fact that no people of color were nominated in the 20 acting and directing categories of the Oscars. If you don't remember, the Martin Luther King, Jr biopic "Selma" was nominated in the Best Picture and Song categories, and did win the Oscar for Best Song; however, many fans felt the film's director Ava Duvernay and leading actor David Oyelowo were snubbed. History repeated itself in 2016 when no actors or directors of color were nominated and Reign's hashtag began trending again.

Reign's hashtag gave voice to movie fans and industry players who were frustrated with Hollywood's lack of diversity. The 2015 Oscars nominations were just the tipping point. #LeadershipTuesdays talked w/April Reign about the creation and impact of #OscarsSoWhite and the changes that have taken place in the industry in the last three years. Reigns shrewd activism has had a measurable impact on the issue of diversity in Hollywood. 


See the interview below. Visit the link for more information on LeadershipTuesdays. The 2018 Oscars nominations will be announced today, January 23rd at 8:22 am EST. To view the nominations live or a re-broadcast, go to Oscars.com.

LeadershipTuesdays

#LeadershipTuesdays: Today Matters...April Reign

"The things that I do today are important because I am exchanging a day of my life for them."

--April Reign, Creator of #OscarsSoWhite

On Tuesdays, womenatliberty.com presents Leadership Tuesdays, a platform for a variety of voices and resources to develop, encourage and strengthen women leaders. Today we feature April Reign, an attorney, public speaker, activist and Social Media Strategist, who came to prominence in January 2015 as the creator of the hashtag, #OscarsSoWhite.

After listening to the announcement of The Oscars' nominations in 2015 where not one person of color was represented in any of the 20 categories, April took to twitter to vent her frustrations. Her tweet went viral propelled by the force of "Black Twitter" and started to make headlines in online and traditional media outlets like Mashable and USAToday. It became a watershed moment in the fight for diversity in Hollywood because the next day, The Oscars (The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences) had to formally respond to the issues her hashtag raised.

In the first of a two part talk by Ms. Reign, she shares with us the moment she sent that tweet and what happened next. She believes that "everyday" moviegoers can have an impact on the movies that are made in Hollywood and the images we see on the screen, and she gives advice on that. Lastly, this wife and mother of two chats about how she plans to spend her Holidays including what's on the menu for the family meal. She even gives details on one of her recipes.

To see the video, click below. For more information on LeadershipTuesdays, go to womenatliberty.com.