These Women and Their Stories are Changing the World

The diverse panel moderated by Sarah Harris Audacy39s Vice President of Social Impact included three women known for bringing the most important issues of the day to lightWendy Credle a powerhouse entrepreneur with experience as a TV and film producer and entertainment attorneyPat Prescott a broadcasting legend who has been the morning host for Audacy39s 947 The Wave Los Angeles since 2001amp160andJerika Richardson Senior Vice President of Equitable Justice ampamp Strategic Initiatives for the National Urban League and a tireless champion for a more equitable and just societyWhile these women have taken different paths they have a shared mission to shine a light on Black and female stories and promote dialogue and awareness that bring about positive changeLights Camera Inclusive Action Wendy Credle Tells Culturally Relevant Stories Through FilmWendy Credle uncovers and shares stories reflecting what she describes as quotthe Black experiencequot Her current slate includes a reality series about six plussized Black women in a dance company and two series about young Black professionals in New York and Detroitamp160Although her stories are inspiring traditional media outlets aren39t always inspired to sign on She has found that lacking a broad understanding of the depth and breadth of experiences among Black audiences TV executives may defer to formulaic shows that historically deliver real ratings but that don39t necessarily portray real lifequotI climb an uphill battle every time I have a new projectquot she said quotBecause they39re limited in terms of what they believe the scope of the Black experience is they don39t understand that there is another type of experience that we are dying for thirsting for that could thrive if they39d give us a chancequotShe noted that when Black consumers support content that accurately portrays their lives it sends a powerful message to media companies to greenlight those kinds of projects She pointed to an inclusive Starz series Run the World recently renewed for a second season as a rare exampleamp160quotThat39s the kind of programming we need to see more ofquot Credle notedAudacy39s Harris agreed quotWhen you see that kind of programming connect with it watch it andamp160support itamp160to encourage the market to create that virtuous cyclequot she said quotWe need themquotquotMaking Wavesquot In Audio and In Person Pat Prescott Amplifies Critical StoriesquotIf I have a microphone in front of my mouth I need to say something that will either inform people that will give them comfort that will make them laugh or that will lift their spiritsquot said Pat Prescott who has been doing just that for more than two decades as a broadcaster in New York and Los Angelesamp160quotDon39t ever miss an opportunity to connect and share what you believe and what you learnquotAt Audacy Prescott is leveraging the power of audio to raise awareness for Black history and social issues During Black History Month she produces Making Waves a series documenting the living history of accomplished Black Americans making notable contributions to their communitiesWhen Audacy looked to her after the death of George Floyd and the reemergence of the Black Lives Matter movement Prescott launched Justice Now an interactive series designed to start conversations around the things people are talking about from current events and education to entertainment and housingquotI39ve been able to use this platform to not only share my story but to share other people39s storiesquot she said quotSo much needs to be addressed and understood To be able to tell those stories that means the world to mequotAudacy is adapting Justice Now into a podcast a relatively easy inexpensiveamp160and popular format offering a powerful new platform for female storytellersquotPodcasting is creating space for more voices to be heard and for more indepth exploration of issues and conversationsquot Harris said quotPerhaps the most influential voices of our day are following their passions to tell a purposeful storyquotLegislate Litigate Activate Jerika Richardson Approaches Storytelling Through Politics and Public ForumsJerika Richardson has spent her career working in politics and even alongside law enforcement to bring awareness to important social issues and effect change To address racial inequity in our communities she said people must have honest conversations about the past and the presentquotIt starts with telling the truthquot she advised quotWe can39t solve the problem if we don39t identify and be honest about the roots of the problem For people to have empathy they have to know the struggle You have to give them the truth but you have to tell them a story in a humane way so that they39re able to be moved and spurred to action Otherwise we39ll just be talking to ourselvesquotRichardson has mastered the art of spurring folks to action and she has found the power of storytelling to be one of the foundational secrets to her successquotWhen we39re talking about change we have multiple tools at our disposalquot she said quotWe can legislate we can litigate and we can also activate and I think the activate part is really crucial The storytelling component has been critically important It39s really the stories that we39ve all been telling that create the changequotAnd the moral of these stories Perhaps it39s that we all have a voice we all have the ability to be an impactful storyteller and we all have the ability to spark meaningful changeClick the social buttons to share this story with colleagues and friendsThe opinions expressed here are the author39s views and do not necessarily represent the views of MediaVillagecomMyersBizNetamp160

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These Women and Their Stories are Changing the World

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Alli Romano

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