MADEFEATURE
MADE: With social media, everyone
has a platform and you’re one of the
emerging voices of our generation
who isn’t afraid to state the facts
and share your thoughts on a matter.
In your opinion, what is a thought
leader?
Amanda: A thought leader is someone
who through their own ideologies, in-
spire folk to think beyond the confines
of what’s presented to them on the
surface and does so based on
information and wisdom.
MADE: Why do you think it’s im-
portant for celebrities and/or influ-
encers to use their creative platform
as a voice on social issues?
Amanda: I don’t think its necessarily
about celebrities using their platforms
to be a voice on social issues because
not all celebrities know how to vocalize
social issues. I do, however, think it is
valuable for anybody in a position of
great visibility use that to keep things
visible that is often put under the radar
that can be detrimental to us as a soci-
ety. So if you know, “Yo, I don’t know
much about this” but it’s something
that people need to know about, use
your platform to give voice to someone
who does know about that. If you know
that your passion is reproductive rights
and this is something that needs to
be verbalized out there but you don’t
necessarily have all the information,
you can at least provide people with
the links to get the information. And
you can say, "Here is where you can
get more information about this." So I
think what its really about is the simple
fact that everybody has a platform and
those with the biggest platforms, simply
are assigned the age old rule, which
is, “With great power, comes great
responsibility.”
MADE: Your discussion with Caitlyn
Jenner went viral and gained wide-
spread attention and it introduced a
larger audience to who you are. How
did that moment change your life?
Amanda: People will know you as an
actress or artist and they are attaching
you to what you do in the artistic space,
and that is dope in its own way. But to
be able to be yourself and have folks
be inspired simply by you doing what
you would do if the cameras were off
is its own dopeness. And so what it did
for me was it allowed me to on a very
grand scale showcase my fearlessness
and my dedication to speaking honestly
about the facts even in the face of peo-
ple attempting to call it impoliteness.
“…Everybody has a
platform and those
with the biggest
platforms simply are
assigned the age old
rule which is, ‘With
great power, comes
great responsibility.
MADE: A few weeks ago you talked
about turning off the comments
on Instagram because of all the
ignorance that was coming your
way. What other ways do you protect
your space? How do you stay sane
while being conscious about what’s
happening?
Amanda: I am so good at blocking
folks, it’s a skill at this point. I feel like
its one of those gifts that technology
has given us in the last few years in a
#mademaven
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