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CAA Amplify Summit Tackles ICE Raids, DEI Rollback, Allyship and Our ‘New Chapter of Resistance'
Creative Artist Agency's annual CAA Amplify Summit urged its attendees to become allies while protesting injustices as the United States enters a 'new chapter of resistance' that's come with President Donald Trump's second term.
'This year, the struggle has a different level of complexity … The system is now dragging people from the streets … Women's bodies are on the line, wars rage on, children everywhere pay the price,' CAA's managing director Maha Dahkil said in her opening remarks for the summit, which took place on Tuesday at the Montage Hotel in Laguna Beach, California. She emphasized the impact 'chaotically unleashed' voices of injustice have had in the nearly 200 days that Trump has been back in the White House, noting that protesting the DEIA crisis was the initial step in the fight for justice last year.
'In 2025, the road to justice, freedom and dignity somehow got harder,' Dahkil said. 'Nothing is worth the price of your humanity, and yet we see institutions, leaders, individuals who marched alongside us not so long ago fade away. The slippage of allies, the loss of pledges, the weaponization of words and three letters we don't say anymore … This is urgent.'
Over the course of 15 live panels, spotlight interviews and speeches, the CAA Amplify Summit outlined how attendees can continue the fight for justice and equality as Hollywood, and the entire nation, pulls back on equity and inclusion initiatives.
In the first portion of the summit, American Civil Liberties director Anthony Romero and NAACP president and director-counsel of the NAACP's Legal Defense Fund (LDF) Janai Nelson discussed the country's current political state, calling the Trump administration's actions in recent months 'an American agenda.' Romero said that he organizes what's happening in the country into three buckets: the targeting of institutions and individuals as political enemies, the targeting of the of politically weak groups ('The anti-DEI effort is just a way to score cheap political shots') and the targeting of institutions that 'undergird our democracy.'
'That's what's happening in our city right here. The idea of the military, the Marines, the National Guard, not being invited in by the governor,' Romero said.
When it comes to what form of protest Americans should consider or perform, Nelson said 'every possible form,' whether it's peacefully protesting in the streets or refraining from spending money at stores or companies that have made controversial business decisions.
'It is important to be visible,' Nelson said. 'There are ways to push back against the erosion of programs and commitments that were made five years ago or even before.'
Continuing the conversation around equity and inclusion, CAA's Brandon Lawrence spoke to Allen Media Group founder and CEO Byron Allen in a fireside chat, during which the business mogul shared his thoughts on the importance of ownership and how historically the Black community — despite being the second-largest consumer group in the country — has systemically never been afforded the opportunity for economic inclusion.
'As Black people, we own nothing, and we must own,' Allen said. 'That gives us a seat at the table in controlling the narrative, control how we're produced, control how we're depicted, how we're seen [and] we tell our stories. We don't let other people tell our stories. We control; that's what's important.'
Woven throughout the program were spoken words and brief presentations, including a piece by 'Abbott Elementary' Emmy winner Sheryl Lee Ralph that highlighted the need for 'joy' in the country in the midst of what some may feel are bleak times.
'This joy that I have, the world didn't give it to me. The world did not give it to me,' Ralph said as she burst into song. 'And the world will not take it away!'
In addition, the superintendent of the Los Angeles Unified School District, Alberto M. Carvalho, shared his heartwarming journey of how his immigrant background shaped his career trajectory. He condemned schools being the target of ICE raids.
'I stand proudly in the face of abuse and oppression, intimidation and fear, for schools are places of education and inspiration and not fear and intimidation,' Carvalho said. 'That is why I have boldly declared to the nation that our schools, our places of inspiration, our temples of knowledge, are no place for immigration enforcement.'
Another topic that was discussed at the summit was transphobia and rollback on protections and targeting of the LGBTQIA+ community. During a panel discussion, actress Laverne Cox and executive director of Gay, Lesbian & Straight Education Network (GLSEN) Melanie Willingham-Jaggers called for the re-humanization of the trans community.
'We are not an injured version of our previous selves. We're a new and different thing. And I want to tell you that, too,' Willingham-Jaggers said. 'We are not trying to go back to make America great again. We're not trying to go back to some previous, perfect time. We are a new thing.'
As the event came to a close, Janelle James ('Abbott Elementary'), Sherry Cola ('Joy Ride') and Asif Ali ('Deli Boys') took the stage and discussed the power or authentic representation on screen.
'Representation is seriously everything,' Cola said. 'I definitely feel that impact, too. Asian girls, or queer girls hit me up and they feel like they've never seen a character like Alice on 'Good Trouble' before in their lives … I love being a role model in that way because that's what we were dying to see when we were growing up.'
As the curtain came down for the evening, CAA's Natalie Tran bid farewell to guests, reiterating the event's desire for attendants to keep on moving in their fight for justice.
'Justice is not guaranteed; it must be fought for and it must be insisted upon, Tran said. 'We know that lives will change because of what we decide to do next, so let's commit to each other. Let's commit to each other and the work that lies ahead. Let this be our legacy, that in your moment of noise and erasure, we chose clarity, we chose each other, and we chose to redesign a collective future worthy of our stories.'
The post CAA Amplify Summit Tackles ICE Raids, DEI Rollback, Allyship and Our 'New Chapter of Resistance' appeared first on TheWrap.
