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MADEFEATURE
MADEXXX
ari realized the power of her
voice at a young age.
“I was always pointing out what wasn’t
right or what wasn’t fair or who was
doing something wrong. The older I got, [my goal]
was to give a voice to those who don’t have a voice,
especially being a young Black girl growing up
in a neighborhood where all the images of Black
people weren’t positive. I thought there was a
misrepresentation of our community, of what we look
like and even though I was so young, I knew I wanted
to take that representation and transform what
people thought about us.”
Be strategic when navigating a male-
dominated industry
“I navigate it very carefully, but sometimes I navigate
it with force. I think you need both as a woman. You
need to be careful, but you need to be a voice and be
forceful. Navigating means knowing when to pick
your battles and having that emotional intelligence
to know when you’re outnumbered or your opinion
won’t necessarily come across the way you want it
to, picking and choosing those moments to jump in
and use whatever leverage you have for your good as
a woman.”
Amazing things happen when women
help each other.
“I just wish there were more women who once they
get to the top, don’t forget us. Don’t act like one of
the boys because you’re not one of the boys. You’re
there to show the boys that you need more women
there. Those are the situations I wish I would have
navigated differently as an on-air personality. I
find ways to insert women in the forefront in my
own way [while] being in front of the camera but
I’m really big on telling all my mentees, ‘Make sure
you’re changing and making policy. That’s the only
real way women will ever have any equal footing in
this world.’”
Cari wants to
help Brown Girls
Dream.
Cari Champion started
Brown Girls Dream as a
support system for young
women of color with
a strong emphasis on
mentorship. The program
helps aspiring multimedia
professionals ages 18-25
by pairing them with
multimedia veterans who
are committed to helping
them navigate the early
stages of their career.
Connect with
MADE
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