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Ava DuVernay Talks to The Root Institute on How She Creates Art that Makes A Difference
“Art is the foundation of any movement,” is how director Ava DuVernay began our interview as we unpacked the transformative power of art—both in its ability to uplift and destroy. DuVernay, personally, has been driven from the beginning of her film career to create art that uplifts and moves the culture forward with creativity, sensitivity…
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Ava DuVernay Gets Real About How Art Can Shape Perceptions at The Root Institute
A visionary film director with an activist’s spirit, Ava DuVernay makes art that is rooted in her conscious. From limited miniseries like When They See Us, to TV dramas like Queen Sugar, to summer blockbusters like A Wrinkle in Time and documentaries, like The 13th, DuVernay crafts narratives with her people—and their past, present, and…
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Lee Daniels Discusses How He Juxtaposes Art With Activism at The Root Institute
Lee Daniels has something to say. Known for the dramatic flair sprinkled throughout his art, the writer-director-producer never shies away from controversial and emotional topics as has been displayed in his works such as Empire, Star and Precious. Daniels has routinely prioritized the importance of telling real and gritty stories within the Black community, especially…
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'Democracy Is at Stake': Glynda Carr, Judith Browne Dianis and Rashad Robinson on Wielding Black Political Power at The Root Institute
“Our lives are at stake. We’re in the midst of a pandemic, a health crisis. Black people are disproportionately dying, but [are] also sick. What we’ve seen because of this pandemic is that it has exposed the structural racism that we knew existed before, but other people didn’t know…We have an opportunity, in this election,…
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The Root Institute Chats Harnessing the Black Vote in 2020 With Glynda Carr, Judith Browne Dianis and Rashad Robinson
What is at stake during the 2020 elections? As we live in the midst of an uprising, which is a response to police killings of unarmed Black people (and a legacy of racism that has proliferated throughout the country), while being led by a man who refused to pay his respects to one of this…
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It Is What It Is
Tommy expected applause. Even though it was just a first draft, Tommy thought it was brilliant. Before reading his new piece of writing aloud to his captive audience, he believed his eloquent breakup letter could possibly change the future of everyone he knew. Of course, he also knew that he was smarter than all of…
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Progressive Cori Bush Just Pulled Off the Upset for the Ages and Is Poised to Become the 1st Black Woman to Represent Missouri in Congress
Sometimes a stone, a sling and immaculate aim are enough. On Tuesday, in what can only be considered a victory for the ages, Black Lives Matter organizer and activist Cori Bush defeated Rep. William Lacy Clay in Missouri’s Democratic primary. Clay served in the House of Representatives for some 20 years. “They counted us out.…
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'We Have Been the Table Shakers': Rep. Ayanna Pressley Uplifts Black Women and Honors the Late Rep. John Lewis in Conversation at The Root Institute
“Black women–our hair, our bodies—are criminalized. Certainly, I am not exempt from that because I have a comma and a title after my name. That is still a weaponizing experience as a Black woman, as a Black woman in congress, and certainly, as a Black bald woman in congress navigating these spaces.” —Rep. Ayanna Pressley…
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Fair Fight's Stacey Abrams on How We Can Protect Our Right to Vote
The right to vote is one that has been fought over, died over and challenged again and again, as it was expanded to include African Americans and women after being something only for those who were white and male. While Fair Fight’s Stacey Abrams admitted in our interview that voting is not a catch-all solution…
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Rep. Ayanna Pressley Discusses the Power of Black Women at The Root Institute
Rep. Ayanna Pressley is a history-making Black woman. As the first woman of color in the history of the Boston City Council and the first Black woman to ever be elected to Congress from Massachusetts, Pressley is a departure from the old white men who, for too long, have dominated the political arena in the…