Dailycsr.com – 12 June 2018 – On February 24, 2018, during an event co-organised by “HP, Disney and Nissan”, girls from “Black Girls Code” came together to celebrate the release of “A Wrinkle in Time” movie, wherein Sasha Williams, in her sweet sixteen seeped in her “big dreams” met with “Ava DuVernay”, the director of the movie.
Ava’s work strting from “13th to Selma” deals with “inclusion and racial division”, whereby defining the “art of storytelling”. Willams unexpected encounter with Ava brought tears to her eyes, as she said:
“I've always looked up to [Ava]. And now, for her to take on this story about a little black girl trying to become a warrior, about being who you are, it’s just really inspiring.”
Willams wants to turn into a “virtual-reality game designer”. However, William was not alone to experience the energizing moment, as the event invited “40 or so girls” for the “first public” screening of the movie. While various movie stars were also present to address the crowd, among them were Storm Reid, Reese Witherspoon, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Meg Murry and Chris Pine.
Recalling, how her daughter at the age of twelve found herself alone as a black girl attending “tech programs and camps”, Kimberly Bryant, the Founder of Black Girls Code stated:
“Just like a lot of you, my daughter just wanted to be able to create the games she was engaging in. My frustration grew into a movement that now, hopefully, will help all of you become the leaders that much older engineers like myself will look up to in the coming years.”
The main activity of the event was called the “Warriors Who Code Challenge”, wherein the girls teamed up in four groups and “built apps” which was inspired by the movie theme of “self-discovery and self-esteem”.
Sasha Williams’ team members were Kimora Oliver, Cadence Patrick, and Kaelyn Hendrix. The group named their team as “By Storm”. In the words of Oliver:
“Before Black Girls Code, I was oblivious — I didn't know what coding was. It feels so good now to go in and have people who look like you, who are trying to reach the same goal as you.”
When Williams expressed her admiration for the director DuVernay, the latter questioned:
“Why do you say you admire me?”
In reply, Williams added:
“Because you’re doing what I want to do when I grow up, and you're not telling me that I have to wait until I grow up, you're telling me that I can do it now and I should just go for it!”
Struck with joy of tears as Williams received a warm hug from the director, she said:
“Meeting her inspired me to do more. If she can do it, I can do it, too.”
Addressing the crowd, Reese Witherspoon said:
“I’ve loved this book since I was 12 years old. [This movie] is a great opportunity to see women being the heros of their own story, which is what every woman in this room will be.”
While she added further:
“A warrior is a woman who stands in her own power. There’s a great line where I say to Meg, ‘Accept your faults, because they’re a huge part of you. You’re not perfect in anything, and you’re not supposed to be perfect in anything. You’re supposed to be your unique, beautiful self.’”
The app developed by William’s team, By Storm, was named “Inner Warrior” which features “quotes from famous people and tasks the user can do each day to boost their confidence, self-acceptance and motivation”. In Williams’ words:
“Knowing when to step back and knowing when to stand up is a skill I learned and developed by working with a bunch of different kinds of people at hackathons”.
References:
3blmedia.com
Ava’s work strting from “13th to Selma” deals with “inclusion and racial division”, whereby defining the “art of storytelling”. Willams unexpected encounter with Ava brought tears to her eyes, as she said:
“I've always looked up to [Ava]. And now, for her to take on this story about a little black girl trying to become a warrior, about being who you are, it’s just really inspiring.”
Willams wants to turn into a “virtual-reality game designer”. However, William was not alone to experience the energizing moment, as the event invited “40 or so girls” for the “first public” screening of the movie. While various movie stars were also present to address the crowd, among them were Storm Reid, Reese Witherspoon, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Meg Murry and Chris Pine.
Recalling, how her daughter at the age of twelve found herself alone as a black girl attending “tech programs and camps”, Kimberly Bryant, the Founder of Black Girls Code stated:
“Just like a lot of you, my daughter just wanted to be able to create the games she was engaging in. My frustration grew into a movement that now, hopefully, will help all of you become the leaders that much older engineers like myself will look up to in the coming years.”
The main activity of the event was called the “Warriors Who Code Challenge”, wherein the girls teamed up in four groups and “built apps” which was inspired by the movie theme of “self-discovery and self-esteem”.
Sasha Williams’ team members were Kimora Oliver, Cadence Patrick, and Kaelyn Hendrix. The group named their team as “By Storm”. In the words of Oliver:
“Before Black Girls Code, I was oblivious — I didn't know what coding was. It feels so good now to go in and have people who look like you, who are trying to reach the same goal as you.”
When Williams expressed her admiration for the director DuVernay, the latter questioned:
“Why do you say you admire me?”
In reply, Williams added:
“Because you’re doing what I want to do when I grow up, and you're not telling me that I have to wait until I grow up, you're telling me that I can do it now and I should just go for it!”
Struck with joy of tears as Williams received a warm hug from the director, she said:
“Meeting her inspired me to do more. If she can do it, I can do it, too.”
Addressing the crowd, Reese Witherspoon said:
“I’ve loved this book since I was 12 years old. [This movie] is a great opportunity to see women being the heros of their own story, which is what every woman in this room will be.”
While she added further:
“A warrior is a woman who stands in her own power. There’s a great line where I say to Meg, ‘Accept your faults, because they’re a huge part of you. You’re not perfect in anything, and you’re not supposed to be perfect in anything. You’re supposed to be your unique, beautiful self.’”
The app developed by William’s team, By Storm, was named “Inner Warrior” which features “quotes from famous people and tasks the user can do each day to boost their confidence, self-acceptance and motivation”. In Williams’ words:
“Knowing when to step back and knowing when to stand up is a skill I learned and developed by working with a bunch of different kinds of people at hackathons”.
References:
3blmedia.com