Lifting as They Climb: Black Women at the forefront of Change
August 24, 2024
By Leah Clark
“Lifting as They Climb: Black Women at the forefront of Change” is a special newscast feature spotlighting the work of Black women in various movements throughout the African diaspora in combating the issues that make up global systemic racism. The report is conducted, produced, filmed, and edited by Leah Clark, a historically Black university student based in the Deep South. The expertise of these Black women spans various subjects, including extreme poverty, health disparities, environmental justice, sexual and reproductive justice, and education. From government officials to grassroots organizers, the role of Black women in these movements is displayed on a global backdrop. Clark starts her report in Geneva, Switzerland at the United Nations Third Permanent Forum on People of African Descent. She interviews an officer of United Nations Human Rights Council on the importance of the forum in providing civic leaders and community activists from around the world the platform to share their experiences fighting injustices in various fields. Clark then sits with a member of the U.S. Department of State tasked by the Biden administration with the unprecedented role of ensuring U.S. policies advance the livelihood of people of marginalized racial and ethnic groups within America. Finding an emerging coalition of Black women making strides at the government level, Clark shifts to highlight the work of community activists. She interviews a registered nurse and midwife from the United Kingdom who uses a spirit of collaboration to work with other African and Caribbean midwives to combat Black maternal health disparities. Clark also interviews an activist battling major corporations and the remnants of slavery apparent in the environmental racism residents in Louisiana’s Cancer Alley face. Taking her reporting to the continent of Africa, Clark profiles the work of a sexual and reproductive justice organization in Johannesburg, South Africa as organizers balance cultural traditions with the advancement of women and girls in the country. The focus of protecting young girls, especially, leads Clark back to Geneva, where an HBCU student pleads the case of supporting girls’ education in the medical field on a global platform. “Lifting as They Climb” spotlights how Black women, often the unsung heroes of movements, are using their identity to fuel their work to advance people of African descent across the globe.
