Nina Shaw is more than just a lawyer—she’s a champion for demanding to be heard.
The entertainment lawyer was honored with the Lincoln Power Award at last week’s ceremony, and she delivered an encouraging speech telling all those in attendance that they hold the power to bring much-needed diversity to Hollywood.
Nina Shaw: ‘If You Want to Be a Woman in Power, Then Empower Other Women’
“Ask yourself: Is it okay when your representatives, whom you pay very well, put a team in place to guide your career, [and] that team, no matter its size, might consist of one or maybe two people of color?” she said. “Is it okay that, despite their seniority, the women who represent you are almost never owners or partners of the businesses that they work so very hard for?”
Shaw’s own rise to power isn’t lost on her, but she credits her clients with her success, saying that she was able to stand up for them because they stood up for her. She urged the attendees to use their power to continue empowering oft-marginalized groups.
“If you are a woman who wants to be empowered, then empower other women,” she said. “You are a much more forceful advocate against gender bias and wage inequality if you actually hire women. If you are a white man who advocates for change, then hire someone other than a white man as an example of that change.”
Watch the moving speech in its entirety above, and leave us a comment sharing your thoughts!