5 steps from the 'Good Girls Revolt' cast on mobilizing for women's rights
Amazon’s Good Girls Revolt begins in 1969 as the “girls” of the fictitious News of the Week start their fight against workplace discrimination, based on real events at Newsweek. Though 47 years have passed, many of the scenes and messages ring true for a new generation of women worried about equal rights.
As people across the country have openly fretted about everything from access to birth control to sexual assault in the wake of Donald Trump’s presidential win Tuesday night, the overlap in conversations being had today and in the show came into focus for the Good Girls cast.
We caught up with Anna Camp (who plays Jane Hollander), Joy Bryant (Eleanor Holmes Norton), Genevieve Angelson (Patti Robinson), Erin Darke (Cindy Reston) and Lynn Povich, who wrote the book that inspired the series, at a screening and panel discussion hosted by NPR in Washington, D.C., Saturday.
So what does the women's movement actually look like in 2016? The group shared some insight for the Good Girls of today.
Twitter is only the beginning
Facebook and Twitter can be great tools for activists, but there can be an outsized reliance on the platforms as vehicles of change.
"Things like social media make you feel like you’re doing something when you’re not, me totally included in that," says Darke. "You retweet something you feel like you’ve put it out there but sometimes you have to act."
Povich agrees: "You’re very good online, organizing online, particularly around tech issues and misogyny on the web," she said of young women. "But there’s something about doing it in person and showing real force that’s part of it."
"Yes, there is bringing attention to it," Bryant agrees. "But the people who are reading those tweets, they can’t change that pay scale."
Host or join a consciousness meeting
Darke is one of several taking a cue from the show and holding her own consciousness meeting, though today's versions are a bit different than the salons of the late '60s and '70s.
"I think it’s safe to say at this point our consciousnesses are pretty raised," Darke laughs. "We’re pretty aware of what’s happening at the moment but now is the time to form a community and come up with practical ideas of what to do."
One strong voice can create an opening
As Bryant notes, reflecting on Viola Davis' Emmy acceptance speech in 2015, the pay and opportunity discrepancy for actresses of color is particularly stark, but has become part of the conversation thanks to a few fearless voices.
"We’ve been dealing with that for so long, and no one could say anything. It took somebody who had the power to crack it open, and now it’s like, alright cool, I know basically when I’m negotiating for stuff what I’m not going to accept."
And the voice doesn't have to be external, Povich says.
"The other thing about Newsweek is we changed the system from within. You need that extra outside pressure, but you know your place best. You know the levers of power. You know the personalities, you can make the changes much more effectively than somebody coming in from the outside."
There's strength in numbers
The women in Good Girls needed nearly the entire team to file suit and effect change. Though it can be uncomfortable to bring up salaries, it's important to know the extent of your bargaining power.
"There needs to be solidarity and the only way for that to happen is for all of us to be on the same level," Bryant says. "It's the same thing on the show."
Know the power of no
It's also important to know your limits. As Nora Ephron (played by Grace Gummer in the series) demonstrates by leaving her job, saying no can be a critical tool. Though as Bryant acknowledges, the strategy comes with a good amount of risk, and has to be wielded wisely.
"Even before I was famous, I know there were people who accepted certain levels and you didn’t have to because you weren’t starving. But if you say yes to everything, they’re going to keep giving you crumbs," she says. "And I’m not taking crumbs, I just want a slice. All I want is a slice. And we have to fight for that."
"Then you can tweet about it."