Tiffany Shlain and Sawyer Steele: Rallying for Equal Rights

In a world yearning for positive change, Tiffany Shlain and Sawyer Steele emerge as two dynamic change-makers.

Tiffany is an artist, Emmy-nominated filmmaker, celebrated author, and founder of the Webby Award. Her work traverses feminism, philosophy, technology, neuroscience, and the wonders of nature. Her creative canvas includes film, art, and performance.

Complementing Tiffany’s creative brilliance, Sawyer is an Emmy-nominated film producer and with Tiffany, co-founded Let It Ripple Film Studio. He has an eclectic portfolio of award-winning films, including some that have graced the screens of the prestigious Sundance Film Festival.

As successful as they are individually, Tiffany and Sawyer have also been an unstoppable force for good in their 17 years of working together. Their meaningful and influential initiatives for positive change, such as Character Day and 50/50 Day, have engaged millions across the globe through film, live events, and global Q&A sessions.

A common theme within their work is a call for unity, the idea that everyone’s voice matters, and that their rights deserve unwavering protection. Tiffany and Sawyer reinforce the  importance of forging alliances and coalitions among diverse groups that share common objectives. Tiffany points out a powerful example in the evolution of the Equal Rights Amendment, originally developed specifically for gender equity.

“It’s taken 50 years to get the ERA where it is now. It shouldn’t have taken 50 years. But also, several markers have happened in the meantime that are making it so that when the ERA is published. It does protect trans rights. It does protect LGBTQ+ rights,” she says.

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To celebrate this and create an in-person equal rights activation, Tiffany and Sawyer are  set to unveil Tiffany’s newest art installation, DENDROFEMONOLOGY: A Feminist History Tree Ring. This new kind of monument celebrating and documenting 50,000 years of the history of women in power will provide the centerpiece of four days of art and action, inspiring speakers, voter and educational resources, a feminist art parade, community, and coalition-building at the National Mall in Washington, D.C. November 1-4. This event promises to be a collective rejuvenation, a reaffirmation that we are all part of something grander than ourselves and that positive change is attainable.

“It might feel backwards right now in the United States, “says Tiffany. “But even though we have reverted on reproductive justice, 65 other countries have legalized abortion…even though we haven’t had a woman president, 86 other countries have. And so, I always think it’s really good to zoom in and out in time, which is why history is so important to understand. We are moving forward. We just have to push a little harder.”

Tiffany and Sawyer hope the monument will serve as a rallying point for all individuals and groups whose rights are under siege in the United States, and they encourage anyone who values equality for all to participate, in person or online.

“Show up,” says Sawyer. “That’s all we’re asking. Show up and be part of it and be part of pushing all this forward because we can do it if we all show up.”

Visit letitripple.org/dc to learn more about DENDROFEMONOLOGY: A Feminist History Tree Ring, and how you can attend the unveiling of the monument and flurry of events happening alongside the unveiling, either in-person or online.

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