#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. 

#LeadershipTuesdays Motivational Moment: My Resolve and Expectations…Ava Duvernay

In an interview with Fresh Air, Terry Gross asked Ava Duvernay, ‘Where do you go next? You’re going to have a lot more clout now as a film director.'

"I don’t know if I’m going to have more clout. There’s really no precedent for someone like me gaining clout in the space that I’m in…a black woman directing films in Hollywood. You know, no precedent for there being a black woman director who's gained any clout. Black woman directors that make amazing beautiful things? Yes. I can name 50. Black woman directors that have attained that kind of clout to be able to answer that question from a place of the privilege of having lots of options: I’m not so sure. We’ll see. It’ll be nice. But regardless, I’m going to keep on telling my stories. 

I’d be absolutely happy to go back and make a smaller picture. I never want to be….[have] my choices to be dictated by budget. That’s one of the reasons why I take so much pride in being able to make films for two dollars and a paper clip. Because I can always get my hand on two dollars and a paper clip. I never have to ask for permission for that. And so I don’t know what the next step is gonna be, but I know that I’ll be doing what I was doing for the six years before this moment: constantly making something. You can call me at any time and ask me what I’m doing? I’ll tell you I’m making this right now. It’s about momentum for me. It’s about that artistic energy and constantly having my hands on a project. So, I don’t know what it’ll be but it’ll be something."* 

--Ava Duvernay, Award-winning director of the movie, Selma.

http://www.avaduvernay.com

Every other Tuesday, WOMEN AT LIBERTY provides a platform for a variety of voices and resources to develop, encourage, and strengthen women leaders. For more information on Leadership Tuesdays or WOMEN AT LIBERTY, click here. 

*The Sounds, Space and Spirit of Selma: A Director’s Take, AnInterview with Ava Duvernay by Terry Gross, Fresh Air, NPR, 1/08/2015

Leadership Tuesdays: Women Taking The Lead To Effect Change...Barack Obama

Women are poised to shape not only their own destiny but the destiny of this century. 

--President Barack Obama, Barnard College, 5/14/12

Every other Tuesday, WOMEN AT LIBERTY presents Leadership Tuesdays, a platform for a variety of voices and resources to develop, encourage, and strengthen women leaders. Today we present Ms. Cheryl Boone Isaacs, the President of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, the organization responsible for the OSCARS. She is the first African American and third woman to lead this prestigious organization that has been around since 1927.

Ms. Isaacs has more than 30 years experience in the film business. She has been a governor representing the public-relations branch for 21 years. With her election last July (2013) as President, she has set as one of her goals to add more diversity to The Academy's membership.  It has been widely reported that current membership consists of over 6100 members, most of whom are white males. To hear a recent NPR Code Switch interview, click here.

Last week, Leadership Tuesdays featured Ms. Ann Fudge, former Young & Rubicam CEO, in a video where she gave advice to women who want to lead in today's business environment. "Be authentic" was one of Ann Fudge's core messages. In fact, she directed this advice to both men and women. To view this video, click here. For more information on Leadership Tuesdays and our recent features please visit our website, womenatliberty.com.