Pop culture can help you get audiences talking about this under-exposed topic. There’s a good reason July was designated Minority Mental Health Month: Diverse communities are often underrepresented when it comes to mental health issues. After all, just look at the way mental health is addressed on TV. Some of the most visible examples of…
A July 4th edition of our blog series that curates pop culture storylines for changemakers As we celebrate the anniversary of our country’s independence, there’s no better time to reflect on exactly what good government looks like. Sure, there have always been depictions of bad government (House of Cards and Scandal, anyone?). But this Independence…
Introducing a new blog series that curates pop culture storylines for changemakers. At AndACTION, we know that pop culture can help social change communicators draw more attention to their causes. People’s brains are hard-wired for stories — and pop culture is a lens through which we see the world. So pop culture influences the way…
Women in Hollywood are mad as hell and they’re not going to take this anymore, to paraphrase the classic film, Network. They’ve already taken a fierce stand against sexual assault, harassment and gender inequality as part of the #MeToo movement, which includes Hollywood’s Time’s Up campaign. In May, women brought their message to Cannes, France,…
If you don’t like raunchy, subversive humor, Ali Wong’s new comedy special on Netflix, “Hard Knock Wife,” is not for you. And if you’re a mom who embraced the glow of pregnancy, passed up the epidural and found breastfeeding to be a higher calling, this is also not for you. But if you’re a mom…
These past few months, Latinx family pride and Black excellence dominated Hollywood with the blockbuster releases of “Coco” and “Black Panther.” And now, Asian Americans are about to have our day with “Crazy Rich Asians.” When the trailer came out in late April, it took social media by storm. Asian American Pacific Islanders (AAPI) like…
If you’re familiar with using pop culture to spark social change, it’s no surprise to see major awards ceremonies like the Oscars, hard-hitting documentaries or high-budget historical films with rock star casts spotlighting social justice. But the latest movie sparking a social justice phenomenon may surprise you: It’s a teenage romantic comedy. Love, Simon, was…
Awards season always spotlights the social justice sector, and that’s why it’s important nonprofits pay attention to events like the Oscars. What made this year’s 90th Academy Awards celebration so special was the focus on policy issues, instead of political jokes. While the rhetoric of previous Oscars has been full of jabs from Hollywood’s elite…
At the 2018 Sundance Film Festival, Bob Redford emerged from the mist as Jacob Marley, forcing us to confront the ghosts of our past and our future. Eric Garner was among the most prominent ghosts from our past. For both a feature film, Monsters and Men, and a documentary, Crime + Punishment, Garner’s death in…
At AndACTION, we help nonprofits think strategically about how cultural moments spurred by film and television can strengthen advocacy-based communications. Hollywood’s TIME’S UP campaign, a follow-up to the #MeToo movement, changed the color and the conversation on the Golden Globes red carpet. Standing in solidarity with women, attendees donned all-black ensembles to declare the clock…