016 Five Powerful Lessons for Change-Makers from Diahann Carroll's Life
“A movement has to move.”
Episode Summary:
Gloria distinctly remembers when Diahann Carroll broke through a major television barrier by starring in the hit sitcom, Julia. Diahann was a black actress starring in a hit television show during the height of the Civil Rights Movement in 1968, a task that required courage, tenacity, and aplomb. In the midst of cultural unrest, Carroll was the first African-American woman to have the starring role in her own television show.
Gloria argues that this was as momentous a step forward for racial equality as Rosa Parks’ refusal to go to the back of the bus because media images are so powerful in creating social change and challenging the status quo. In this episode, Gloria lists and breaks down the five powerful lessons for change-makers from Diahann Carroll’s life.
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Resources
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U.S. Supreme Court’s landmark Brown v Board of Education decision
Washington Post article “Without Diahann Carroll, we wouldn’t have Olivia Pope”
Books Mentioned
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No Excuses: 9 Ways Women Can Change How We Think About Power, by Gloria Feldt
Social Links
Gloria’s Website & Social Media
Take The Lead’s Website and Social Media
Quotes / Tweetables
“While racial desegregation in public schools had been affirmed by the United States Supreme Court’s landmark Brown vs. Board of Education decision fourteen years earlier, bitter resistance to integration still roiled, and the implementation of racial equality had shown itself to be far more challenging than changing laws.”
“My involvement in the Civil Rights Movement years after that taught me that people banding together for a righteous cause can make change.”
“Be intentional about your steps forward. Once accepted, the steps forward can become increasingly bold and authentic.”
“Remember, a movement has to move. There’s no stopping after a victory because it’s too easy to backslide. Changemakers must always be visual and proactive, setting the agenda and defining the public narrative.”
“Never underestimate your impact on the next person.”