It’s clear that the media we consume has the power to make an impact on society. I mean, one of the biggest influences in many peoplesâ lives comes from the shows we watch and what we see on social media â and yes, that includes Bridgerton. Producer Shonda Rhimes is a catalyst for diversity in media. From Greyâs Anatomy to Scandal, Rhimesâs intention to diversify television has opened up a big conversation about the relationship between storytelling and social change.
At the 2024 Clinton Global Initiative annual meeting on Sept. 24, an event founded by the Clinton Foundation to bring awareness to crises around the world, former First Lady Hilary Clinton led a panel about storytelling and social change featuring Rhimes and Ford Foundation President Darren Walker. Rhimes recounted growing up with characters in the media that didnât look like her, which is a driving reason why she decided to start her production company, Shondaland.
âAmerica is not all white men and women, straight, going into the world,â Rhimes said. âAll of our stories, I try to make them a window and a mirror. A window into somebody elseâs world and a mirror that reflects back at you and who you are.â
Rhimes also talked about how she uses storytelling in her shows to lead conversations that could drive change. A big part of that is using entertainment to get peopleâs attention on relevant issues. âIf you can entertain people, you can teach them anything,â Rhimes said. âIf they are highly entertained, then they will sit there and watch you talk about all the ways Planned Parenthood has been damaged. Or they will sit there and listen to all the ways literacy is important, but they have to be entertained.â
Rhimes said accompanying a social issue with a storyline and interesting characters is an effective attention-grabber. If weâre interested in something and thereâs a story trope we like, weâre more inclined to listen to the message.
And with someone as iconic as Shonda Rhimes, she proves that a great story can impact just about anyone. In February 2024, Rhimes donated to the Emmett Till Interpretive Center in hopes of preserving a historical landmark where Till was murdered. Rhimes said the act came from reading the September 2021 article âHis Name Was Emmett Tillâ by Wright Thompson in The Atlantic. âThe article that he wrote was so compelling that it made me call up my philanthropy team and say, âLetâs help them buy that barn,ââ Rhimes said. âI think thatâs what great journalism can do, and thatâs what great narratives can do.â
This link between a story and advocacy is something that Rhimes continues to do in her work, as she supports multiple initiatives including educational arts programs at USC and Dartmouth. But that all starts on the screen in her shows. In the panel, Shonda said, âYou canât be what you canât see.â Social change can happen once the media we see is more diverse.