Immensely talented and beautiful, actress Kerry Washington has starred in films such as Ray, The last King of Scotland, Lakeview Terrace, Fantastic Four and For Colored Girls. And how could we forget her role in the early millennium classic Save the Last Dance? And most recently appearing on the Shonda Rimes-produced ABC hit show Scandal.
Washington is one of those few actresses who reminds us that Hollywood can actually serve as a vehicle for progressive change. She openly identifies as a feminist in interviews and backs up her words with political activism. A full active supporter of the Obama campaign back in 2008, as well as an active member of the V-Counsel, a group of advisors to V-Day, the global movement to end violence against women and girls.
She appeared in Howard Zinn’s documentary, The People Speak, and serves on the board of Voices of a People’s History, a non-profit arts and education group using education and performance to bring to life the material inspiring the book Voices of a People’s History of the United States.
Washington has been noted to comment, “I really believe that the arts and humanities are vital to our understanding of who we are as a nation, and who we are as human beings within a larger global context,” she says. “I don’t think of it in terms of being difficult,” she says. “There are much more difficult jobs than mine, like running the State Department! My job does not compare to Hilary Clinton’s.”
Part of the President’s Committee on the Arts and Humanities, Washington works with First Lady Michelle Obama and other powerhouse politicians.
Kerry Washington is the real deal, someone who truly advocates for real change.
