Amandla Stenberg, Janicza Bravo to Speak at The Meteor’s Gender Equity Summit (Exclusive)

Media company The Meteor is bringing back its gender equity summit, The Hollywood Reporter has exclusively learned.

Following last spring’s event, called 21 for ’21, 22 for ’22: Visions for a Feminist Future will feature an international lineup of 22 leaders, activists and artists, including Dear Evan Hansen actress Amandla Stenberg, Zola director Janicza Bravo, MeToo movement founder Tarana Burke and labor rights pioneer Dolores Huerta.

Hosted by political strategist Symone D. Sanders in partnership with Gucci’s Chime for Change gender equality campaign, the free summit will feature both in-person and virtual components. The in-person edition will take place at Barnard College in New York City on April 26, and portions from that event will be edited as part of a May 9 livestreamed virtual event that will feature the full 22-person lineup participating in conversations, documentary shorts and performances. The virtual summit will be available for on-demand viewing worldwide starting the next day.

Related Stories

Movies

'My Animal' Star Amandla Stenberg Talks the Supernatural Romance and Being Manifested by 'Star Wars'

Lifestyle

Nazanin Boniadi Makes Plea to Creative Community to Support Iranian Activists in Fight for Freedom: "I Can't Help but Feel the Urgency"

“It may be cliché to say, ‘If not now, when?’, but this genuinely is such a crucial moment for our world — and from climate change to mental health, we’re inspired by the work that so many women and justice-minded people of all genders are doing,” said The Meteor CEO Cindi Leive, co-founder of the gender equity- and racial justice-focused collective. “In the U.S. especially, it’s easy to become insular, but we can — and honestly, have to — learn from each other.”

Those interested in attending 22 for ’22 can register online. Subjects expected to be addressed at this year’s summit include trans rights, Latin America’s Green Wave reproductive rights movement, the impact of Taliban rule on women and girls in Afghanistan, youth climate activists from Scandinavia to Southeast Asia and humanitarian efforts for Ukrainian refugees.

“As a global company, we believe it is fundamental to convene, unite and strengthen the voices speaking out for gender equality around the world,” Gucci Americas president and CEO and Gucci Global Equity board member Susan Chokachi said in a statement. “As we approach the 10th anniversary of the Chime for Change campaign, we are more committed than ever to support leaders around the world who are working to create lasting and transformative change. We are inspired by the global community coming together across borders and generations for 22 for ’22 to continue the fight for freedom and equality.”

Last year’s summit, which drew attendees from 37 countries, featured a performance from Ilana Glazer, as well as conversations between Gloria Steinem and Amanda Gorman and among Hillary Rodham Clinton, Lana Condor, Amanda Nguyen and Sonal Shah.

Other speakers for this year include Colombian lawyer Paula Avila-Guillen, Afghan journalist Fatema Hosseini, Filipino climate justice activist Mitzi Jonelle Tan, Italian mental health advocate Ariman Scriba and The Traveling Diary creator Kyra Peralte.

“Navigating the politics of gender issues today can be both exhausting and challenging,” Sanders, whose eponymous MSNBC show premieres May 7, said in a statement. “I am grateful to The Meteor, Gucci and Chime for Change for creating a place and space for people to convene globally to discuss, debate and be inspired by what the world can look like when it’s more equitable.”