“We are never able to take a moment’s rest,” producer Debra Martin Chase explains.
Writer and producer Janine Sherman Barrois was one of the 44,000 participants in the historic July 21 Win With Black Women Zoom call, which collected over $1.5 million to support the Democratic presidential contender, Vice President Kamala Harris. The Big Cigar showrunner has followed Harris’ career since she attended a fundraiser in 2010 to support the then-San Francisco district attorney’s successful election to California attorney general. She joined the group when Jotaka Eaddy founded it in August 2020. She claims that it is now more important than ever to provide the driving power for Harris to successfully complete this next stage of his political career.
Barrois tells The Hollywood Reporter, “In entertainment, we write about these post-apocalyptic worlds and how crazy it would be if people tried to overthrow the government—we’re living in that.” This lacks any subtlety. It literally means: Do you want to trust in America’s promise and future, or do you want to go backward? We also don’t want to regress.
The 2024 Democratic National Convention (DNC), which will take place in Chicago from August 19–22, is anticipated to strengthen this feeling. Kerry Washington, Mindy Kaling, Tony Goldwyn, and Ana Navarro have recently been revealed as the nightly Hollywood hosts.
In collaboration with other Black women-led groups, Win With Black Women will hold a Sisterhood Lounge at the McCormick Center during the Democratic National Convention. Talks with a variety of Black women in government, including Georgia State Senator Tonya Anderson, Illinois State Representative Sonya Harper, and St. Louis Mayor Tishuara Jones, will be facilitated by Higher Heights For America, Sisters Lead Sisters Vote, and the Black Women’s Leadership Collective. During this past Sunday’s Win With Black Women Zoom call, Pinky Cole, the owner of Slutty Vegan, and Danielle Brooks and Andra Day discussed what this moment means to them ahead of the DNC.
According to Eaddy, “people in the entertainment industry are frequently thought of as something different. Yes, they have amazing talents, but they are also American voters.” “It’s great to see them speak publicly and boldly about that. They have families and lives they carry to the polls, and it’s always important to remember that they, too, are equally a part of this country and participate in this democracy.”
Another attendee in last month’s Win With Black Women launch call was Evan Seymour Bain. Motivated by the increasing momentum throughout the lengthy phone conversation, Seymour Bain began messaging friends and coworkers to inquire if they were present at the meeting. She decided to start a WhatsApp group two days later so that women in the business could especially exchange resources and knowledge. From 10 participants on the first day, the Black Women in Entertainment for Kamala (BWIE4Kamala) chat has grown to over 500 actresses, executives, journalists, content creators, and media figures who are mobilizing around DNC watch parties, political action committee donations and fundraisers, voter letter writing, and other volunteerism. This growth has occurred in just three weeks. Seymour Bain quit her position in a publicist at Apple TV+ to fully dedicate herself to the cause.
Reiterating a similar theme, Seymour Bain candidly states, “I wanted to create a way in which everyone can be engaged in ways that resonate most with them, from grassroots [efforts] up to writing $50,000-plus checks so that we can all do our part to help ensure that Donald Trump stays the fuck out of the White House and that Kamala Harris is the 47th president of the United States of America.” “We’re not turning around.”
Ashley Jackson, the daughter of civil rights hero Reverend Jesse Jackson, is in charge of Gen-Z voter efforts for BWIE4Kamala. Seymour Bain has been collaborating with Ashley Jackson in the run-up to the DNC on a podcast that she will be hosting live from the conference. In addition, this Wednesday marks the launch of the Bestie Ballot Challenge, which is timed to coincide with Ashley’s appearance on White Women: Answer The Call Zoom. Win With Black Women is a sister program that has raised over $8.5 million for the Harris campaign since its July 25 kickoff call, which was attended by over 160,000 participants.
As Black women, we appreciate this motivation that we are producing politically, according to Eaddy. “Answer The Call: We’re Happy to See White Women. We are happy to see our White men, our Black men, our Southeast Asian sisters and brothers, and our Latino brothers and sisters.
Many people discuss our call, which was released on Sunday. [Win With] Black Men was released the next day. We are protected by them. Additionally, I believe that there is merit in the Black men’s cooperation and togetherness in standing with Black women, Eaddy continues. “They try to paint us in this picture of being divided, but in my opinion, we’re closer than ever.”
Actress Jenifer Lewis has also participated in Win With Black Women calls and #CaregiversForHarris Zoom sessions, and she finds the problem of voter turnout among Gen-Z and millennials to be very critical.
From The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air to A Different World and now as the Black-ish grandma, Lewis says, “I have a fantastic connection with the Gen-Zers and the Millennials because they sat on their sofas and watched me as the auntie and the mother on all the Black movies [and TV programs]. They have a relationship and trust since they grew up with me. They are able to sense my concern in addition to seeing me.
Lewis will visit the historically black colleges and universities of Spelman, Morehouse, Morris Brown, and Clark Atlanta University this autumn as part of BWIE4Kamala’s activations there. “I’ll also be going down south to these battleground states to go door-to-door, post flyers on the corner, whatever I can do,” Lewis adds, describing how her outlook on life was altered in 2022 when she survived a 10-foot fall from a balcony while touring Africa. “Although I was too young to fight in the 1960s, at this point all I can do is give back.” I currently live that way.
Triumph Using Black According to Eaddy, women’s grassroots initiatives would intensify following the conference. “We’ll get back to work after Chicago.” We shall see to it that individuals have the resources necessary to both register to vote on their own behalf and on behalf of others in their community. We are also considering collaborating with female entertainment industry professionals, asking them to utilize their platforms for digital content, or inviting them to personally contribute whenever and wherever they can to help spread the word about how important it is that everyone casts a ballot in this election. Additionally, we’ll see a lot of people on our Sunday calls,” she adds.
Probably among them will be film and television producer Debra Martin Chase, who co-hosted a fundraiser for Harris in 2019 during her first presidential campaign. Chase was one of Harris’s early backers. She is now organizing a donor event to help this round’s democratic nominee.
“It’s important to remember that this will be a very close race,” says Martin Chase. “We must never take our foot off the pedal for even a moment because this will be a fight to the finish. It will be a long haul to November.”
