At HuffPost, we decided to kick off 2020 with a bang by highlighting people who have the potential to make long-lasting impact in this nation. Zeba Blay is the mastermind behind the Culture Shifters list, for which a team of reporters, photographers, designers and editors profiled 23 activists, artists, entrepreneurs and entertainers who are changing America. Must Reads talked to Blay about the Culture Shifters list and what she hopes people will take away from the project.
Tell me how you came up with this idea.
Maybe two years ago during a Culture team meeting, we were trying to think of ideas for series or packages that would set a tone for the section, the kind of conversations we’re interested in having, the types of people we’re interested in covering. I distinctly remember saying out loud during the meeting, “We should do a thing!” Which was so hilariously vague, but in my mind I could already envision it: a list of people, not the type of “who’s who” list we’ve seen so many times, but one highlighting people who are creating their own radical spaces in their industries. The list would highlight people across an array of topics, at different levels of notoriety, who all had one thing in common: They were moving the culture and the conversation forward. I just wanted to do something that felt less about hierarchy and popularity and more about people because I feel like that resonates with the ethos of HuffPost. Eventually, this “Culture List” idea became what is now the “Culture Shifters.”
Why do you think it is important to highlight people who are changing our culture in America?
Our current news cycle focuses so much on leaders and gatekeepers who are certainly changing our culture, but not necessarily for the better. So uplifting the work of individuals who are counteracting that negativity — be it through thoughtful cultural criticism like E. Alex Jung or grassroots activism like Mari Copeny — feels vital at this time.
It’s definitely a diverse mix of people across several industries. How did you determine who would end up in the final list?
This list was intentionally curated. We tried to be mindful of finding people doing interesting, culture-shifting work in various fields, but always keeping in mind that we didn’t want to create quotas for everything. You’ll find there are a lot of activists on the list, a lot of people in entertainment, a lot of women and a lot of people of color. Of course, we wanted to try to be inclusive of people from all different backgrounds. The curation of this list was all about breaking free of what you would expect from lists highlighting changemakers. It was about following our guts and thinking about who really has the potential to have long-lasting impact on America.
What do you hope people take away from this project?
I hope people learn new things about individuals they’re already familiar with or discover the work of someone new. I hope they get excited or inspired. I even hope they challenge the list, use the list as a catalyst to discuss other people they believe should be highlighted and uplifted. The Culture Shifters list isn’t about dictating to other people what’s cool; it’s literally about starting a conversation and making us all think a little deeper about what “shifting culture” really means.
Anything else you want to add?
I’d just like to add a huge shoutout to everyone who worked on this project. There are too many names to list and I don’t want to miss anyone. But the collaborative effort that went into making Culture Shifters a thing speaks to, I think, the overall energy of the project. Culture isn’t dictated or pushed forward by any one singular person. It takes all of us, with different ways of thinking and being and seeing the world, to come together and make beautiful things happen.
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