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A California professor recently caused controversy online when she tweeted that she felt it was “slightly racist” to be a fan of pop star Taylor Swift. Melina Abdullah, a professor of Pan-African Studies at Cal State Los Angeles and co-founder of Black Lives Matter Los Angeles, did not back down from her controversial stance when challenged on social media. Abdullah is no stranger to making provocative statements about race and racism.

California Professor Defends Claiming She Feels Taylor Swift Fans Are Racist Taylor Swift performs during the opener of her Eras tour in Arizona.

According to Fox News, on February 12, 2023, Professor Melina Abdullah posted on Twitter that she felt “it’s slightly racist to be a Taylor Swift fan.” The tweet from the California State University, Los Angeles professor has sparked debate.

Abdullah teaches Pan-African Studies and is a co-founder of the Los Angeles chapter of Black Lives Matter. On Twitter,...

I feel a little awkward about what I’m about to do. It’s not something I’ve ever done before and, to be honest, it doesn’t come naturally. But what the heck, there’s a first time for everything, so here goes nothing.

I’m about to agree with the Academy.

Shocking, right? The run-up to this year’s Oscars was filled with more embarrassing missteps than a Rob Lowe-Snow White production number. The Academy infuriated rank-and-file members by pre-taping eight below-the-line awards to trim the ceremony (which still managed to run 20 minutes longer than last year). It snubbed Volodymyr Zelenskyy from an on-air appearance, despite Sean Penn’s threat to publicly smelt his Oscar if the Ukrainian president wasn’t allowed to speak (Zelenskyy ended up slumming it at the Grammys). Even the Academy’s brand-new 500 million movie museum — the one that co-host Wanda Sykes toured...

The Man/Kind Project — a nonprofit that operates with a mission to fight racism and intolerance — is launching the online series Tears: The Event Against Racism and Stereotyping on March 6.

According to event organizers and a website created for the series, it features members of the Black Lives Matter movement, the Los Angeles Police Department and other community members and activists. The first episode — titled CommUNITY / ReSOLUTION – serves as the kick-off for the series that will include a total of six episodes. Among the participants are LAPD chief Michel Moore and Black Lives Matter Los Angeles co-founder Dr....

Freeform’s Good Trouble “has been so far ahead of the curve in telling the stories that it’s been telling for years,” series’ new recurring guest star/director Constance Zimmer said during the show’s TCA panel Friday, summing up a recurring theme throughout the conversation.

Black Lives Matter co-founder, actor, writer and producer Patrisse Cullors was brought on as a story consultant in Season 1 to help with the Malika (Zuri Adele) activism and social justice storyline. She joined the writers room of The Fosters spinoff for Season 2 in her first time writing on a TV series. Melina Abdullah, the director of Black Lives Matter L.A., also consulted for the series, and the had recurring roles on the series playing themselves.

“We were doing stories about Black Lives Matter, and I thought, well, I really want to go to the source and make sure we are doing it right.

ICM Partners political specialist Travis Merriweather has been promoted to senior political strategist, the talent and literary agency announced today. Since Merriweather joined ICM Politics at the start of 2020, he has focused heavily on the issues of racial equality, voter mobilization and education, and political engagement for ICM’s clients and employees (partisan and non-partisan).

“Travis has had an enormous impact in executing our ambitious political vision and socially responsible vision and strategy at ICM, making himself an invaluable member of our team,” said Chris Silbermann, CEO of ICM Partners, in a statement. “His passion for creating, organizing, and executing effective engagements gives us the power to take meaningful action on the issues that are most important to our clients and our agency. As we all aspire to do more and be more together, Travis knows how to direct that energy to tangible effect and change. We could not be...

Less than 24 hours after the LAPD broke up a peaceful Black Lives Matters protest and arrested an activist outside the official residence of Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, Joe Biden has named Garcetti one of the co-chairs of his inaugural committee.

The selection that has been met with derision and concern by BLM LA and could bode badly for the President-elect with one of his and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris’ core constituencies.

“It’s beyond disheartening that Biden would ignore the calls of Black organizers who helped elect him and appoint Garcetti to any position the very day after LAPD violently assailed protestors in front of the mayor’s mansion,” BLM LA co-founder Dr. Melina Abdullah told Deadline on Monday. “We hope that this will be no more than a consolation prize and that Biden will heed the calls not to appoint one of the most problematic mayors in the nation to his cabinet.

Update, 11:19 Am: After a hard fought election and eight years in office, Los Angeles County District Attorney Jackie Lacey has just conceded to George Gascón.

Noting the ” contentious fight” and fighting back tears, the first African-American woman elected to the powerful prosecution office recognized that the votes simply weren’t there for her.

“In fighting to stay in office we faced a tsunami of money,” a clearly angry Lacey made a point of noting. The likes of Netflix’s co-ceo and others boosted Gascón with a war chest of $5 million greater than Lacey, who was mainly backed by police unions.

Overall, the L.A. D.A. race exceeded $13 million, a record in the region for the office.

“The results of this election is the result of this season of our discount and wanting to see a tsunami of change,” Lacey added. Listing off the names of Breonna Taylor, George Floyd and Ahmaud Arbery,...

Co-founder and Executive Director of Black Lives Matter Patrisse Cullors is set to host her first live streaming event on YouTube for election night — which is tonight in case you didn’t know.

Patrisse Cullors + Blmpac Present: Live From Election Night will stream on Cullors’s YouTube channel starting at 6pm Pt/9pm Et. Cullors will host the 90-minute event produced by Trap Heals and BLM alongside Richie Reseda CEO of Question Culture. Activists from across the country including Black Lives Matter Los Angeles’s Melina Abdullah and Vice President & Chief Partnership and Equity Officer at MomsRising.org Monifa Bandele will share reflections on this historic election.

The event will also include appearances from Tracee Ellis Ross, America Ferrera, Tessa Thompson, Ramy Youssef, Chelsea Handler, Diane Guerrero, Yara Shahidi, Black Men Build organizer Philip Agnew, California state senator Holly Mitchell and more. The event will also feature a DJ set...

George Gascón’s bid to be Los Angeles County’s next District Attorney replacing two-term incumbent Jackie Lacey has all the drama of a Hollywood production, and the challenger has a lot of the industry’s backing to support that idea.

Netflix co-ceo Reed Hastings, newly minted Warner Bros TV boss Channing Dungey, FX EVP Georgina Balian, Macro boss Charles King, Ziffren Brittenham lawyers, documentarian Amy Ziering, Entertainment One TV chief Michael Lombardo and Berlanti Productions VP Michael McGrath are among the Hollywood backers who have contributed money to Gascón’s campaign.

Additionally, Disney VP Production Jessica Virtue, Starz SVP Kathryn Tyus-Adair, The Hateful Eight producer Stacey Sher, ex-21st Century Fox marketing exec Pamela Levine, writer-producer Kerry Ehrin, Freeform prez Tara Duncan, Dolittle director Stephen Gaghan and the Capshaw Family Trust and the Spielberg Family Living Trust have written checks – with the latter two going right to the limit of $3,000 apiece.

The fly in the ointment — that may forever be how the vice presidential debate between incumbent Mike Pence and Sen. Kamala Harris (D-ca) is remembered.

On the latest Deadline podcast Potus 2020: Battleground America, senior editor Dominic Patten and political editor Ted Johnson size up the latest debate, that pesky bug, the highlights and low lights, prospects of more Potus debates and whether Harris vs. Pence even will matter in the final weeks of an unpredictable election.

Listen here:

Long story short – The insect that sat on Pence’s head for two minutes was a trivial sidelight, but speaks to just how quickly spectacle has largely overtaken substance during this campaign season.

On truly substantial matter, Dr. Melina Abdullah, co-founder of the Black Lives Matter chapter in Los Angeles, joins the podcast to talk about the VP debate, Trump’s response and the race for Los Angeles County District Attorney.

It has already been a banner year for Black women filmmakers, with historic achievements like Nia DaCosta set to become the first Black woman to direct a Marvel film with “Captain Marvel 2” and Ava DuVernay selected as the first female filmmaker to receive the prestigious Dorothy and Lillian Gish prize. And film fans should add “(In)Visible Portraits” director Oge Egbuonu on the list of names to know.

“It’s unprecedented. I can’t remember a time where so many Black women were given an opportunity and a platform to tell their stories in such a beautiful and unapologetic and organic way. It’s a very beautiful thing to witness and to be a part of,” Egbuonu tells Variety ahead of a special presentation of her documentary at the Bentonville Film Festival.

“It’s very empowering for me as a Black woman to see these women who I consider to...

Exclusive: After unveiling its lineup for the sixth edition of the Bentonville Film Festival (Bff), the Bentonville Film Foundation has set panels, events and jury for the hybrid virtual/in-person event. The fest will take place August 10-16.

The panels for this year’s fest include “If She Can See It, She Can Be It” with Geena Davis, Oge Egbuonuvisible Portraits) and Katori Hall (P-Valley creator). The panel spotlights the best practices for executives and creators who have successfully created or worked with female-driven content.

Isabella Gomez (One Day At A Time), Sonay Hoffman (For Life), Marie Jacobson (Spt’s Gemstone Studios), Mary Molina (Party of Five) and Esta Spalding (On Becoming a God in Central Florida) will be panelists for “What’s Your Story? And Why We Need It Now More Than Ever”, which will feature a conversation of the importance of fresh, distinctive voices on TV.

Tessa Thompson, best known for her portrayal of Valkyrie in Thor: Ragnarok and in the wider McU, recently penned a letter urging Hollywood to cease their support of both police-oriented and, in the words of one ScreenRant reporter, “anti-black content.”

Thompson penned the letter in collaboration with Kendrick Sampson, who has been involved with the civil rights protests which spread across the country following the death of George Floyd from almost the very beginning. Three weeks ago, the Flash actor was shot with rubber bullets while attending the protests in Los Angeles.

The letter, which Thompson and Sampson published in Variety alongside Black Lives Matter co-founders Patrisse Cullors and Melina Abdullah, urges Hollywood execs to divest from stories that present the legal system as being less corrupt than it really is, and police not as violent as they, in their view, have shown themselves to be.

This message, which comes...

Michael B. Jordan, Chadwick Boseman, Idris Elba, Viola Davis, and Tessa Thompson are among over 300 Black artists and executives calling on Hollywood to prove Black Lives Matter. In a letter penned by Insecure actor Kendrick Sampson, Thompson, and Black Lives Matter co-founders Patrisse Cullors and Melina Abdullah, the group calls on Hollywood to divest from police and elevate Black […]

The post Over 300 Black Artists Call for Hollywood to Divest From Police appeared first on /Film.

More than 300 Black artists and studio executives—including Michael B. Jordan, Viola Davis, Queen Latifah, Idris Elba and Mahershala Ali—have signed an open letter calling on Hollywood to divest from police and anti-Black content. The letter was penned by Insecure and Miss Juneteenth star Kendrick Sampson and developed alongside Tessa Thompson and Black Lives Matter co-founders Patrisse Cullors and Melina Abdullah. According to Variety, Sampson was moved to take action after being shot by rubber bullets and hit with a police baton at a peaceful protest he organized in Los Angeles. "Hollywood has a privilege as a creative industry to imagine and create," the open...

More than 300 Black performers and executives have signed an open letter calling on Hollywood to cut ties with police and invest more heavily in Black artists and stories.

“The lack of a true commitment to inclusion and institutional support has only reinforced Hollywood’s legacy of white supremacy,” the letter reads. “This is not only in storytelling. It is cultural and systemic in Hollywood.”

Among the signatories are Zoë Kravitz, Viola Davis, Yara Shahidi, Tiffany Haddish, Thandie Newton, Robin Thede, Issa Rae, Chadwick Boseman, Tessa Thompson, Salim and Mara Brock Akil, Kerry Washington, Janet Mock, Idris Elba, Cynthia Erivo, Billy Porter and organizations including Black Lives Matter and Color of Change.

Also Read: 'Insecure' Actor Kendrick Sampson Hit by Police's Rubber Bullets During George Floyd Protest

According to Variety, which first published the full text, the letter was penned by “Insecure” Kendrick Sampson in collaboration with Thompson and Black Lives...

Chadwick Boseman, Tessa Thompson, Michael B. Jordan, Viola Davis, and Idris Elba are some of the over 300 Black artists and studio executives who have signed an open letter calling on Hollywood to divest from the police and from producing and distributing anti-Black content (via Variety). The open letter was drafted by “Insecure” and “Miss Juneteenth” actor Kendrick Sampson along with Thompson and Black Lives Matter co-founders Patrisse Cullors and Melina Abdullah. Sampson was shot by rubber bullets and hit with a police baton at the end of May while peacefully protesting the death of George Floyd.

“Hollywood has a privilege as a creative industry to imagine and create,” the open letter reads. “We have significant influence over culture and politics. We have the ability to use our influence to imagine and create a better world. Yet, historically and currently, Hollywood encourages the epidemic of police violence and culture of anti-Blackness.

Chadwick Boseman, Tessa Thompson, Michael B. Jordan, Viola Davis, and Idris Elba are some of the over 300 Black artists and studio executives who have signed an open letter calling on Hollywood to divest from the police and from producing and distributing anti-Black content (via Variety). The open letter was drafted by “Insecure” and “Miss Juneteenth” actor Kendrick Sampson along with Thompson and Black Lives Matter co-founders Patrisse Cullors and Melina Abdullah. Sampson was shot by rubber bullets and hit with a police baton at the end of May while peacefully protesting the death of George Floyd.

“Hollywood has a privilege as a creative industry to imagine and create,” the open letter reads. “We have significant influence over culture and politics. We have the ability to use our influence to imagine and create a better world. Yet, historically and currently, Hollywood encourages the epidemic of police violence and culture of anti-Blackness.

After co-organizing a demonstration in Los Angeles at which he was hit with a police baton and shot seven times with rubber bullets, Kendrick Sampson has penned a letter to the entertainment industry at large, asking Hollywood to divest from the police and invest in the Black community. The letter, shared exclusively with Variety, was developed alongside Tessa Thompson and Black Lives Matter co-founders Patrisse Cullors and Melina Abdullah. It is signed by over 300 Black artists and executives, among them Thompson’s Marvel co-stars Chadwick Boseman, Anthony Mackie, Michael B. Jordan and Danai Gurira, as well as Billy Porter, Cynthia Erivo, Idris Elba, Issa Rae, Octavia Spencer, Viola Davis and many more. It follows a statement from Black Artists for Freedom, which likewise was signed by a list of prominent Black artists and called for cultural institutions to “break ties with the police.”

Here’s the letter:

To our allies...

It has taken me over 16 days to write this letter, not because I fear the hate mail that we have been receiving due to our support for Black Lives Matter But due to my support as a non-black ally as I wanted to make sure this letter, unbeknownst to me, doesn’t hurt those very same Black people that I am in full solidarity with and have been for years - before the trend and will continue onwards after the trend. I also wondered if my Outspoken support mattered. I was close to scrapping this entire letter, when I heard Dr. Melina Abdullah, professor and co-founder of the L.A. chapter on Black Lives Matter assert, “It can’t just be Black people advocating for Black people. So we need everybody’s voice talking in their own communities. (Non-Black people) for Black Lives Matter and people who are really willing to do anti-racist work.

Producer-turned-filmmaker Oge Egbuonu’s remarkable directorial debut, “(In)Visible Portraits,” was always going to debut during a fraught time in history. Three years in the making, the “Loving” and “Eye in the Sky” producer’s first documentary has been entirely crafted in the wake of numerous recent traumas inflicted on the Black community, from the continued killings of Black men by police to the deep pessimism and fear surrounding the current presidential administration, and that was before the historic protests of the last few weeks. Now, the documentary seems wildly prescient and urgent, providing

The trick, of course, is that “(In)Visible Portraits” could have been made at nearly any time in recent history, as Egbuonu and her many subjects unpack a litany of harmful labels, conspiracy theories, and even their enduring hopes for the future over the course of just 92 minutes. Centered around the experience of Black women — particularly...

Producer-turned-filmmaker Oge Egbuonu’s remarkable directorial debut, “(In)Visible Portraits,” was always going to debut during a fraught time in history. Three years in the making, the “Loving” and “Eye in the Sky” producer’s first documentary has been entirely crafted in the wake of numerous recent traumas inflicted on the Black community, from the continued killings of Black men by police to the deep pessimism and fear surrounding the current presidential administration, and that was before the historic protests of the last few weeks. Now, the documentary seems wildly prescient and urgent, providing

The trick, of course, is that “(In)Visible Portraits” could have been made at nearly any time in recent history, as Egbuonu and her many subjects unpack a litany of harmful labels, conspiracy theories, and even their enduring hopes for the future over the course of just 92 minutes. Centered around the experience of Black women — particularly...

Producer Oge Egbuonu’s directorial debut “(In)Visible Portraits” arrives having perhaps committed the first-feature error of wanting to say everything. Even so, the documentary’s emotional generosity and mindful elegance impress. A rumination on Black women in America, the film’s release was moved up from fall 2020 to June 19. The timing couldn’t be more resonant. The spirit of the documentary sways and marches to chants like “Say Their Names” and “Justice for Breonna Taylor.”

There is a poetic justice to releasing the film on Juneteenth, the holiday that celebrates emancipation even as it reminds us how diabolical racism was — and remains. (The date marks the moment slaves in Texas learned that they’d been freed by the Emancipation Proclamation — signed nearly three years earlier.) With the assist of a number of female scholars, the film dives into the traumatic legacy of slavery but also pays tribute to the fortitude of Black women,...

All day Wednesday, dozens of prominent Black women in Hollywood, fashion, business, literature and political activism will be taking over the Instagram accounts of white women including Julia Roberts and Elizabeth Warren, as part of the #ShareTheMicNow campaign, which aims to amplify the voices and stories of Black women.

Created by Bozoma Saint John, Cmo at Endeavor, fashion designer Stacey Bende, and bestselling writers Luvvie Ajayi Jones and Glennon Doyle, the campaign will see 46 Black women run the accounts of 46 white women. “When the world listens to women, it listens to white women. For far too long, Black women’s voices have gone unheard, even though they’ve been using their voices loudly for centuries to enact change,” #ShareTheMicNow said in a press release. “Today, more than ever, it is Necessary that we create a unifying action to center Black women’s lives, stories, and calls to action. We need to listen to Black women.

Image Source: Instagram user @missmoultrie

"When the world listens to women, it listens to white women." This unjust truth is precisely what inspired the creation of the #ShareTheMicNow campaign. The initiative, which is taking over social media on June 10, centers on Black women speaking from the Instagram accounts of white women with large followings in order to share their stories and help foster conversations about racial justice. More than 40 women will be handing over their handles to amplify Black voices, including actresses, athletes, and fashion designers.

The campaign was brought to life by Bozoma Saint John, a businesswoman and the current chief marketing officer of Endeavor; Luvvie Ajayi Jones, a New York Times bestselling author and podcast host; Glennon Doyle, a New York Times bestselling author and the founder of Together Rising; and Stacey Bendet, CEO and creative director of Alice + Olivia. Ahead, get the full scoop on the initiative's goals,...

A new social media campaign launching Wednesday called #ShareTheMicNow will have Black women speak from the Instagram accounts of white women who have large platforms from Julia Roberts to Gwenyth Paltrow, Hilary Swank, Alex Morgan and Kourtney Kardashian. In the initial broad coalition of women, organizer Bozoma Saint John, Chief Marketing Officer at Endeavor, will take over Kourtney Kardashian’s account; Kahlana Barfield Brown will take over Julia Roberts’ account; Latham Thomas will take over Gwenyth Paltrow’s account; Angelica Ross will take over Hilary Swank’s account; and Ibtihaj Muhammad will take over Alex Morgan’s account.

#ShareTheMicNow wants to magnify “Black women and the important work they’re doing in order to catalyze the change that will only come when we truly hear each other’s voices,” the group said in a statement Tuesday. It “encourages Black and white women in relationship to recreate this action in their own spaces.

ICM Partners, CAA and WME have joined together to organize what’s described as a “peaceful protest against police violence in solidarity and support for #8CantWait and the #BlackLivesMatter movement.”

The event takes place on Sat. June 6 starting at 12 noon. The protest will originate at the ICM Partners building in Century City. Organizers said the goal is “applying pressure through peaceful protest, as a catalyst for real policy change.”

Speakers scheduled include Dr. Melina Abdullah, leader of L.A. Black Lives Matter, and actor Kendrick Sampson.

Pan Pacific Park is located in a family-friendly area of Los Angeles, filled with local shops and across the street from Park La Brea known for being home to Angeleno newbies. Right next door to the park is The Grove, an outdoor mall that is adjacent the iconic Original Farmers Market, an L.A. institution that attracts locals and tourists alike. The area is fairly lively on a regular basis, but on May 30, 2020, the park served as a location that was part of a bigger movement for the protection of Black lives.

As the nation and the world reeled from the death of George Floyd as well as Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery and countless others due to police brutality and racism, thousands gathered in the park that Saturday to peacefully mourn their deaths and fight against racism. I was one of them. It was a call for change to systemic...

You will probably not find the Underground Museum if you are looking for a museum. It has a black, nondescript storefront entrance on a wide berth of West Washington Boulevard, leading visitors through its gift shop and into the main gallery space. The family-owned collective and cultural hub is known for attracting a multiethnic crowd of Angelenos to the Arlington Heights neighborhood, typically for film screenings and album launches. On Monday, it welcomed mourners for Nipsey Hussle — the rapper, entrepreneur, philanthropist, and neighbor to most everyone in attendance who was fatally shot a day prior.

The Women’s March Los Angeles returned to Downtown Los Angeles during the weekend for the 2nd annual event, drawing an incredible turnout of over 700,000 attendees.

Olivia Wilde Speaks onstage at 2018 Women's March Los Angeles

Credit/Copyright: Amanda Edwards/Getty Images

The powerful lineup of activists and stars included Elizabeth Banks, Chloe Bennet, Rowan Blanchard, Connie Britton, Yvette Nicole Brown, Sophia Bush, Ted Danson, Viola Davis, Lea DeLaria, Zoey Deutch, Tony Goldwyn, Sarah Hyland, Paris Jackson, Allison Janney, Scarlett Johansson, Mila Kunis, Ashton Kutcher, Eva Longoria, Megan Mullally, Olivia Munn, Lupita Nyong'o, Natalie Portman, Rob Reiner, Nicole Richie, Catt Sadler, Adam Scott, Jurnee Smollett-Bell, Mary Steenburgen, Lea Thompson, Marisa Tomei, Olivia Wilde, Larry Wilmore, Alfre Woodard, and Constance Wu, and performers Idina Menzel, Andra Day, Rachel Platten, Daya, Maxwell, Andy Grammer, Keala Settle, and The Gay Men’s Chorus of Los Angeles with Melissa Etheridge. Additional special guests included Mayor Eric Garcetti,...

Women’s March Los Angeles has announced that supporters including U. S. Senator Kamala D. Harris, Viola Davis, Natalie Portman, Elizabeth Banks, Allison Janney, Connie Britton, Sarah Hyland, Mila Kunis, Eva Longoria, Ellen Barkin, Rob Reiner, and Mary Steenburgen, along with performers Andy Grammer, and Keala Settle will now join the powerful lineup of activists and stars taking the stage at the March on Saturday, January 20th.

They will join previously announced speakers including Scarlett Johansson, Chloe Bennet, Rowan Blanchard, Yvette Nicole Brown, Sophia Bush, Laverne Cox, Lea DeLaria, Tony Goldwyn, Paris Jackson, Megan Mullally, Olivia Munn, Nicole Richie, Catt Sadler, Adam Scott, Olivia Wilde, Larry Wilmore, and Alfre Woodard, along with performers Idina Menzel, Andra Day, Rachel Platten, Maxwell, and The Gay Men’s Chorus of Los Angeles with Melissa Etheridge. Other special guests include Mayor Eric Garcetti, GLAAD President Sarah Kate Ellis, Los Angeles Lgbt Center CEO Lorri L.

Women’s March Los Angeles has announced a powerful line-up of activists and celebrities for its January 20 event.

Women’s March Los Angeles announced today that supporters including Scarlett Johansson, Chloe Bennet, Rowan Blanchard, Yvette Nicole Brown, Sophia Bush, Laverne Cox, Lea DeLaria, Tony Goldwyn, Paris Jackson, Megan Mullally, Olivia Munn, Nicole Richie, Catt Sadler, Adam Scott, Olivia Wilde, Larry Wilmore, and Alfre Woodard, among others, will take the stage at the March on Saturday, January 20th.

Idina Menzel, Andra Day, Rachel Platten, Maxwell, and The Gay Men’s Chorus of Los Angeles with Melissa Etheridge are also set to perform. Other special guests include Mayor Eric Garcetti, GLAAD President Sarah Kate Ellis, Los Angeles Lgbt Center CEO Lorri L. Jean, civil rights advocate Kimberlé Williams Crenshaw, Planned Parenthood Los Angeles President & CEO Sue Dunlap, Black Lives Matter’s Melina Abdullah, Aclu of Southern California Executive Director Hector Villagra, Supervisor Hilda L.