EMILYs List Brings Together Hollywood and Politics to Discuss Growing Power of Women at Pre-Oscars
For Immediate Release
February 27, 2018
EMILY's List Brings Together Hollywood and Politics to Discuss Growing Power of Women at Pre-Oscars “Resist, Run, Win” Brunch
Chelsea Handler, Amber Tamblyn, Padma Lakshmi, Senator Barbara Boxer, and more kick off Oscars week with an impactful panel; nearly a dozen women running for office across California join entertainment execs at the event
LOS ANGELES – Today, EMILYs List — the nation’s largest resource for women in politics — kicked off Oscars week by bringing together powerful women across entertainment and politics for a candid, high-level conversation about women raising their voices and resisting the cultural forces that threaten to hold them back.
Comedian and activist Chelsea Handler, co-chair of EMILYs List’s Creative Council, moderated the panel and raised important questions, spurring an inspiring conversation between panelists former Senator Barbara Boxer, Padma Lakshmi, Elaine Welteroth, Amber Tamblyn, and Constance Wu. The discussion focused on how women can capitalize on current momentum and public attention to drive real change. Since the 2016 election, EMILYs List has been contacted by more than 34,000 women about running for office.
Throughout the panel, Handler emphasized the importance of women supporting each other, saying, “as a woman you have to be a sister to every single woman you meet. What has happened since the election is that women have come together, and we are staying together because we are stronger together. And we don’t just need one win. We need a wave of wins. We need to change the environment.”
After EMILYs List Executive Director Emily Cain and EMILYs List board member Paul Bernon welcomed guests, EMILYs List President Stephanie Schriock provided introductory remarks and introduced seven EMILYs List-endorsed female candidates running in races across California in the audience, recognizing them as the future of American politics. The event arrived as an increasing number of women from around the country and world are reclaiming their power and standing up for themselves and each other, creating unprecedented energy. EMILYs List has already endorsed enough women running in Republican seats to flip both the House and Senate and is targeting almost 600 state and local seats in upcoming elections. The panel discussed how women with visible and influential platforms can use those platforms to help generate victories at every level of elected office.
“We’ve never seen anything like this before. Ever. Immediately after the November election, the women of this country started to rise up. We had hundreds, then thousands of women contacting EMILYs List saying, ‘I want to run.’ We’ve spent three decades urging women around kitchen tables to run, now these women — 34,000 women are doing it. This is the next decade of American leadership,” said Schriock.
“We are in the midst of a revolution. To call it by any other name is a disservice to what we are all doing here and to all the women who paved the way so we can sit in this room together. We are in a revolution everywhere, in all industries, and certainly in politics,” said panelist Amber Tamblyn, acknowledging the gravity of the current cultural and political atmosphere.
The event was conceived by Paul Bernon, film producer, EMILY's List board member, and founder and co-chair of the EMILYs List Creative Council, which aims to help the organization reach new, diverse voters across industries, geographies and age groups.
“We can look through history and see that young people have always been at the forefront of change. Millennials came here to disrupt and dismantle. These kids came out the womb with fists raised. Until we have more women in the government nothing will change. We need to do everything in our power collectively to help you (the women running) to get elected and change the world,” said panelist Elaine Welteroth.
“What’s different is I think the things that are happening now are touching even more women,” said former Senator Barbara Boxer, who was an integral part of the so-called Year of the Woman in 1992. “What’s different is it’s touched more hearts.”
Additional guests at brunch included Kathryn Hahn, Emmy Rossum, Mena Suvari, Erika Alexander, Amy Landecker, Iliza Shlesinger, Carlson Young, Gabrielle Carteris, and Clea Duvall.
Photos Caption: XX attends EMILYs List “Resist, Run, Win” Pre-Oscars Panel and Brunch on Tuesday, February 27, 2018. OR XX speaks onstage at EMILYs List “Resist, Run, Win” Pre-Oscars Panel and Brunch on Tuesday, February 27, 2018.
Arrivals and Program: http://assignments.gettyimages.com/mm/nicePath/gyipa_public?nav=pr570770450
Photo Credit: Photo by Rachel Murray/Getty Images for EMILY's List
EMILYs List, the nation’s largest resource for women in politics, has raised over $500 million to support pro-choice Democratic women candidates – making them one of the most successful political organizations ever. Our grassroots community of over five million members helps Democratic women wage competitive campaigns – and win. We recruit and train candidates, support strong campaigns, research the issues that impact women and families, and turn out women voters. Since our founding in 1985, we have helped elect 116 women to the House, 23 to the Senate, 12 governors, and over 800 to state and local office. Forty percent of the candidates EMILYs List has helped elect to Congress have been women of color. Since the 2016 election, thousands of women and counting have reached out to us about running for office. To harness this energy, EMILYs List has launched Run to Win, an unprecedented effort to get more women to run at the local, state, and national levels.
