Angelica Ross commends Issa Rae's 'resilience' in Hollywood amid the racial wealth gap

NEW YORK — Where spaces didn't exist for Issa Rae and Angelica Ross to thrive, they created them.

Time magazine's Impact Dinner on Thursday celebrated the honorees of The Closers issue, highlighting 18 Black leaders who have implemented initiatives to close the racial wealth gap, from the "Insecure" actress and Hoorae production company founder to the "Pose" star and TransTech CEO.

"To grace the cover and then read all of your guys' stories, I was like, 'Why'd they put me on the cover?'" Rae joked as she took the mic during dinner. "I got a couple of texts from my cousins like, 'How (are) you closing the family wealth gap?'"

To kick off the night, a DJ played hits that spoke to the audience: "Into You" by Tamia, "Wild Thoughts" by Rihanna, "Independent Women" by Destiny's Child and "Can’t Leave ’Em Alone" by Ciara to name a few.

The curation of music coupled with soul food, Tarana Burke and Rae fangirling over each other and Pinky Cole, Arian Simone and Luvvie Ajayi Jones posing for a Delta Sigma Theta photo signified that the evening was to bond guests over Black history and future.

A collective of "mmm" and "yep!" rang throughout dinner as the honorees, including Rae, Ross, New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker and Fifteen Percent Pledge founder Aurora James, discussed the fight for them to create positions of equity for Black people and recent attacks on diversity and inclusion from Washington to Hollywood.

Rae shared her childhood mindset that drove her to seek out a greater purpose. "When I was younger, I had the audacity to think that I could change the world," she said, as the audience shouted back a collective "You did!"

"In my defense, I was new to it. So many of the problems I heard about — poverty, war, homelessness, hunger, racism, sexism — seemed so easy to fix. I was just like, 'People just need to do better by each other.' If enough people care to change something, it'll change," the "Barbie" star said.

Rae admitted that as she got older, she "grew more cynical" about how she could make a difference because "the idea of changing the world is so daunting."

Instead, she focused on herself, her community and one building block at a time. This eventually led the actress and producer to increase her investment in Black talent with her production company, indie music label Raedio, hair-care brand Sienna Naturals and more.

In her Time profile, Rae was critical of aging Hollywood executives who have moved away from the diversity and inclusion push in 2020 after the country's racial reckoning following George Floyd's murder.

"There is a bitterness of just like, who suffers from you guys pulling back? People of color always do," she said. "Now these conglomerate leaders are also making the decisions about Hollywood. Y’all aren’t creative people. Stick to the money. The people that are taking chances are on platforms like TikTok: That’s what’s getting the eyeballs of the youth. So you’re killing your own industry."

What gives Rae "hope" today, she said at Thursday's dinner, is seeing other changemakers start small and centering their immediate environments until they can expand.

Related:Issa Rae says Hollywood needs to be accountable. Here's why diverse shows are so important

Angelica Ross gives props to Issa Rae's push for change in Hollywood

Ross took a moment during her speech to pay special tribute to Rae. "I see you," she said.

"And trust me, I understand firsthand about Hollywood's reluctance to fully embrace our narratives," she adding, making a quip about prolific producer Ryan Murphy allegedly ghosting her after a 2020 pitch about an "American Horror Story" season spotlighting Black women. "Your resilience has inspired me so much."

The transgender activist went on to share how everyone gains from her technology education program for LGBTQ+ youth. "When you devise solutions for the most marginalized among us, society as a whole will reap the benefits," she said.

"The road I have traveled has demanded everything from me … my time, a few tears, my resilience," Ross said. "And I would willingly sacrifice it all again, knowing that the magnitude of breaking free from the oppressive chains of the system that seeks to devalue us, to remind us that our Black bodies are expendable."

She added: "But here's the thing? My life's mission is to empower every individual, especially those within the Black and Brown, queer and trans communities."

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