“I am a global advocate who believes quality storytelling, great photography and strategic philanthropy are important tools for social change. Together, we can figure out viable ways of unshackling the disenfranchised by removing stumbling blocks to prosperity. Let us confront poverty with such an immediacy that being economically poor in the 21st century, any place in the world, becomes a thing of the past. We can dissect the prison industrial complex until mass incarceration is no longer the expanding plague it is on the American psyche. We can honor the female half of society with the respect she deserves, make mental health support common for anyone who needs it, and create safe, welcoming spaces for those different from us. There are many social ills to tackle—hunger, the unhoused, drug addiction, the ever-present wealth and education gaps, inequality—the list feels endless, but this is the work before us and we must do it as a collective.”

-Marcia Fingal