LEVEL FORWARD
BRAVE STORYTELLING
To honor the life of Shamony Gibson and support transformative maternal health activism in her memory, please contribute to the ARIAH Foundation
To honor the life of Amber Rose Issac and support transformative maternal health activism in her memory, please contribute to the Save a Rose Foundation.
To learn more, please visit the film's website
Amanda Morell:
One tangible step I encourage our audience to take is actively participating in the ecosystem that allows these stories to exist by donating, sharing, and advocating for the work that challenges the very system that often tries to dismantle us. As we move into post-production, we are continuing our fundraising efforts to support our composers, sound design, color correction, and festival deliverables. All is essential for us to bring this film to life. Donate here.
Regina Davis-Moss:
Notice the gap between the stories you’re seeing about Black motherhood and what feels true because it’s rooted in lived experience and systemic context, not just outcomes. Then take one step to close that gap. Commit to share a story of Black women’s experiences and support a Black-led reproductive justice organizations, working to expand what is just and possible for Black women and families. Start here.
Lauren Whitehead:
Buy a book on the reality of black maternal health at a local book store, such as –– We Live For the We: The Political Power of Black Motherhood by Dani McClain. I think there is an assumption that poor maternal health care is a community specific issue but this books helps us understand how what happens to some of us is coming for all of us. The more you know about the most targeted among us, the more equipped you are to protect yourself and your community.
Emmai Alaquiva:
Listen to the Black mothers in your life, invest in the people guiding them safely through birth, and demand more from the systems that hold their care. Find the midwives, doulas, and birth workers in your own city and support the care they are already providing. Start learning about comprehensive doulas services.
To continue supporting this work, please check out The Birthing Place. Let’s Build a Community Birth Center in the Bronx!
NYIC represents 200+ immigrant and refugee rights groups across New York.
A coalition protecting NYC from federal incursion and supporting communities.
Use promo code CR at Roundabout Theater checkout for a special discount.
Now more than ever, it’s time to fight for a world that treats all pregnant people with dignity and humanity because no one should lose their rights because of pregnancy.
The Maternal Health, Dignity and Consent Act would require health care providers to obtain informed consent from pregnant patients before conducting drug testing and screening.
Representing Lea Tupu'anga/Mother Tongue - a short film now in Oscar contention - Stacy Young (Founder and Executive Director of the Pacific Island Film Festival) underscores the very mission of More To Talk About. Once a film is made, we must create more opportunities to extend the impact potential of storytelling through conversation and connection.
Delilah Ramos needs us to be more intentional about working with Indigenous communities. Don't assume what their needs are. First educate yourself as much as possible without making Indigenous leaders do the work. Then, ask them what their needs are and show up. We’ll reach collective liberation when we are showing up for everyone regardless of if they look like us.
Martyna Majok recommends reading: How I Learned to Drive by Paula Vogel - A play that reflects complex humanity and sees people through "multiple prisms of who they are.”
As the author of and/or contributor of several banned books, Jamia Wilson (Vice President and Executive Editor at Random House) puts it clearly “They can try to burn books, they can try to ban them, but they can’t get rid of every sacred object.” Books can be radical objects of resistance and it’s our responsibility to protect books in their physical form. Start by purchasing Jamia's newest book Make Good Trouble: Discover Movements That Sparked Change from your local bookstore and if you can - buy copies to donate to your local library!
Darkness Rising, a mental health and arts organization founded by Carlita Victoria, works with a range of communities that are often left out of the conversation on mental wellness - including incarcerated and formerly incarcerated people. If we want to be free, no one can be left behind. Based on her experience going through a reentry simulator, Carlita emboldens us to reach out to our local reentry council to learn ways to collectively care for marginalized groups. She proclaims “It is so important and so vital that we, as humans, as a society, reach out to understand each person's individual experience and how we can help people throughout their journey.”
Eisa Davis recommends reading: Mary Seacole by Jackie Sibblies Drury - An unforgettable biodrama that “centers the caretaker economy” and introduces you to a woman in history we should all know more about.
“Don’t be afraid to pull that thread,” says Tommy Dorfman, Actress playing The Nurse/Tybalt in Romeo + Juliet & The Ali Forney Center Board Member. When a story or a conversation ignites something in you, immediately start your research into local community organizations or other ways to take action. After all, that’s exactly why More To Talk About exist – we’re here as your companion to deep dives ignited by impactful stories.
Multidisciplinary Artist, Jezz Chung, led our in-person audience through somatic tools to address anxiety and rescript negative thinking from “I’m worried” to “I’m protected.” Jezz’s somatic demo begins at 59 min in the playback. For more prompts and provocations to unlock your personal power, read Jezz’s book This Way To Change and listen to their podcast Dreaming Different.
“Silence kills” says Stephanie Pacheco (U.S. National Youth Poet Laureate). In a time where injustices are taking place on every scale – at work, at school, on the train, in the grocery store, at your local town hall (the list is endless!) – now is the time to practice fearlessness and speak up. “If you are silent about your pain, they'll kill you and say you enjoyed it.” - Zora Neale Hurston.
History-making actress activist Sis The Doll reminds us “You are not a monolith and your neighbor is not a monolith.”Instead of letting our differences create further divides, what could happen if we became overly curious about each other and the world we’re living in?
In a time where truth gets twisted, Huma Abedin challenges us to increase our skills of discernment. Specifically, “how do we teach our children to discern between truth and lies?” We must re-teach ourselves, and the young people around us, the tools of logic such as triple-checking sources to determine fact vs. fiction.
In the age of anti-trans propaganda, deepfakes, and misinformation, Imara Jones (Journalist and Founder of Translash Media) warns us that media literacy will be a tool we must sharpen over the coming weeks, months, and years. She uplifts the words of Martin Luther King Jr. who in his speech “Love In Action” proclaimed
“[we] have a moral responsibility to be intelligent.” Imara reminds us that it is our job to be truth-seeking and critical with the information we receive while also sharing our media literacy skills with those around us.
Imani Celeste (City of Dreamz Filmmaker) proclaims that now, more than ever, is the time to build community. Whether it's to make a film or address a need, crowd-funding, resource-sharing, and bridge-building are all ways we can chip in and show up for each other.
Coiner of “intersectionality” and “critical race theory”, Dr. Kimberlé Crenshaw is not new to attempts at silencing and censorship. Crenshaw warns that book bannings or “the desire to create one celebratory narrative and to erase everything else and everyone else” as a slippery slide into fascism – encouraging us all to become Freedom Readers and do everything we can to protect democracy. Join African American Policy Forum on May 3rd, 2025 for “Freedom To Learn” a day of action to push back against book bans.
Taheen Modak, Actor playing Benvolio, motivates us all to re-engage with empathy – especially with those who are different from you, or have a different perspective on life. Exclusion and others suffering is not the natural desired outcome for human beings, so how can listening create new pathways to unity?
Tara A. Nicolas prioritizes reconnecting with her inner child through play and regular nature walks. Somedays, Tara turns to classic procedural TV shows like Monk and Psych, which offer light-hearted familiarity and comfort. However, her go-to book for spiritual and personal expansion is The Alchemist.
Miguel Angel Caballero and Luis Aldana (The Ballard of Tita and the Machines Filmmakers) encourage us to become better neighbors and stand beside immigrant communities under attach, because "as we know through history - first they came for them, and then they come for us."
Zhailon Levingston reminds listeners that if they’re watching the conversation, they already have a seed planted—they just need to give themselves permission to act. He encouraged people to literally write a permission slip outlining their fears, goals, and intentions, and then give that slip to someone who can bear witness to their journey. Whether it's a friend, family member, or even an acquaintance, that act of shared accountability can help carry us forward into this next moment of change.
Librarian OlaRonke encourages us to develop a reading practice in community with others. Don’t just read banned books, “read banned books with other people.” We get it, books can be dense. Especially in a time where our attention spans are scarce. Joining or creating a book club can create easeful accountability, natural discourse, and creative learning opportunities!
Case by case, even as we are witnessing an “ unending assault on gender justice”, the National Woman’s Law Center is winning litigation to protect our reproductive freedom, democratic rights and more. Fatima Goss Graves empowers us to step out of our loser mentality and counter any narratives that suggest we, the people, are powerless.
Banned Book Author, Dr. Mahogany L. Browne, donates a set of books to local schools, libraries, or learning spaces every year. “The same way [schools] are in need of free lunch, they’re in need of free books.” Make sure the shelves are stacked with diverse authors that allow a range of readers to see themselves!
Migdalia Cruz wants us to learn to look beyond the people who have the same or familiar last name to yours. Be flexible with your mind and enter into new and diverse crafted by playwrights of color. Through story, open yourself up to the world and the magic that the world is holding for you.
“A lot of [Black and brown-led environmental organizations] are overworked and underresourced says the founder of Browngirl Green and The Green Jobs Board, Kristy Drutman. She encourages us to volunteer our time, donate resources when we can, and amplify the work of climate storytellers of color from the rooftops. Check out The Green Jobs Board to begin your climate journey!
George Strus (Producer and founder of Breaking the Binary Theatre) charges us to increase our engagement with media made about, for, with, and by Trans folks. Whether that’s the plethora of creations through Breaking the Binary Theatre, Translash Media, or some in-house suggestions – Disclosure on Netflix, Will & Harper on Netflix, and Paris is Burning on Max. From media to climate to AI to sports, there are transgender thought leaders who are offering critical solutions for allies and those aligned to take part in.
Shania Banton emphasizes the value of reading and watching fiction as a reminder that not everything in life needs to be taken so seriously. She recommends reading When No One is Watching or turning on Netflix for their newest series Forever. She was moved by the show’s portrayal of two different Black families, describing it as nostalgic and deeply affirming.
Ericka Hart encourages Black queer folks to care for themselves, take up space, question everything, and reject investment in white supremacist ideals. For white people and non-Black people of color, Ericka urged direct action through mutual aid and advocating for state reparations to Black communities. Ericka invites everyone to follow them on social media @ihartericka – where Black queer people can come to receive support, and non-Black people can show up to give.
Elena Araoz encourages us to think of theatre and community engagement like planning a party. Ask yourself: What kind of party am I throwing? Who do I want to have fun at the party? Who should be invited? If we “plan our parties” more intentionally, belonging and inclusion increases.
Ming Peiffer recommends reading: seven methods of killing kylie jenner by Jasmine Lee-Jones - A contemporary play that gets at the pulse of the havoc social media has inked on our lives. Especially in a time when “even getting hired is dependent on what you’re putting out and how many followers you have.”
Murielle Borst-Tarrant challenges us to embrace our differences in order to help create an industry where everyone lives in dignity. In a time where arts organizations are struggling and artists are being silenced, we must protect the right for artists to tell stories and preserve history.
CEO and Founder of Waterbear, Sam Sutaria, encourages us to create and consume more hopeful and solution-oriented climate content. Read Futerra’s STORIES TO SAVE THE WORLD report for tips on telling climate change stories and visit the Waterbear platform for an array of eco-focused films – including a Level Forward favorite, WE RIDE FOR HER.
Jerrie Johnson finds balance through reading transformative books like The Power of Now and The Untethered Soul, which have helped her embrace the importance of not taking things personally. When it’s time to unplug and rest, she turns to the nostalgic comfort of Little House on the Prairie (TV series). For Jerrie, the series brings wholesomeness and a feel-good nature that’s both pure and grounding.
Louie Ortiz-Fonseca, Director of LGBTQ Health & Rights at Advocates for Youth, charges us to muster up courage and community in order to resist LGBTQIA+ attacks – especially those targeting young people. From being a soft place to land for the wounded to more frontline action, don’t worry! There are many methods and modalities to resistance. Find yours.
Responding to the needs of a youth-led movement, Black Girl Environmentalist offers fellowship opportunities focused on young, Black femme-identifying climate leaders. Fellowship Manager Kwolanne Felix prompts us to “invest in training the next generation of climate leaders” to amplify opportunities for girls of color far and wide.
Inspired by her comedic film addressing workplace micro and macroaggressions, C.C. Randle (A Mind of Its own Filmmaker) proposes that building a more empowered sense of self through acts of self-care can help thwart the flagrant attacks to identify coming from the higher powers that be.
Devin-Norelle called for the creation of a new Black Wall Street where new media, that is anti-capitalist, pro-Black, queer, and centered on community, can be developed. Rather than seeking to profit from stories, Devin-Norelle emphasizes the importance of building media ecosystems (such as TransLash Media) that embrace passion, authenticity, and a shared commitment to telling each other’s stories with integrity.