Wonder Woman of the Week: Kerry Washington

This week’s spotlight has been on my long list of powerful women for quite some time now. She’s an incredible actress who has portrayed incredible characters. This actress is able to silence movie theaters and living rooms alike with her command of the screen. Outside of being an actress, this woman is an advocate for women and the African American community. She’s even been appointed by the president as a representative for the arts. Kerry Washington is the Wonder Woman of the Week.

Kerry Washington was born the daughter of a real-estate broker and an education professor in New York City in 1977. The NYC native grew up in the South Bronx where she took ballet lessons, but had dreams of becoming a marine biologist working with orcas. Washington attended the Spence School for high school before earning a theater scholarship to George Washington University. [1]

Not being one to settle on base success, actress Kerry Washington hit the acting scene with high ambitions for herself. She not only set goals for being an actor, she wanted to be a producer, screenwriter, and director too. Washington met early successes as an actor with films Lift, and Save the Last Dance. For her debut film Our Song, Washington earned award nominations at the Independent Spirit Awards and the Sundance Film Festival. Even in films where the lesser known actress was overshadowed by the big names of Anthony Hopkins and Meg Ryan in films like Bad Company, The Human Stain, and Against the Ropes, Washington made a name for herself as a powerful actress. [2]

For most of the new millennium, Kerry Washington was isolated to supporting roles; mostly as wives of leading men. That certainly changed in 2013 when Washington was cast for the lead role for Scandal. In the ABC television drama, Washington plays a DC lawyer who heads a firm specializing in making political scandals disappear. The show is no fluke itself. Scandal joined a long list of feminist TV shows when it debuted following in the footsteps of 30 Rock, Girls, and Lean In to appear on a table of female written, female produced, and female directed TV shows. [3]

Kerry Washington makes a name for herself outside of film and television. She debuted in the Broadway play Race and is widely known for her political activism. Washington was appointed by President Barak Obama to the President’ Committee of the Arts and Humanities in 2009. Washington is also an advocate and active member of the V-Counsel, a group of advisors for V-Day whose goal is to end violence against women and girls around the globe. [4]

Actress Kerry Washington could be easily mistaken for an Amazonian superhero. The NYC native is an active opponent of violence against women. She’s an award nominated actress with high standards for herself. Washington is a representative of her nation’s chief executive in her career field. She plays the powerful head of a political law agency and can command an entire Broadway theater with her talent. Kerry Washington stands as an incredible role model for girls, African-American youth, and theatre majors alike.

“Kerry Washington.” 2015. Biography.com. Accessed 23 December 2015. http://www.biography.com/people/kerry-washington-21041523#early-life

“Kerry Washington.” 2010. The New York Times. Accessed 23 December 2015. http://www.nytimes.com/movies/person/281843/Kerry-Washington/biography

Diehl, Jessica & Kamp, David. “Ms. Kerry Goes to Washington: The First Lady of Scandal Speaks.” 31 July 2013. Vanity Fair. Accessed 23 December 2015. http://www.vanityfair.com/style/2013/08/kerry-washington-scandal-cover-story

“About.” 2015. KerryWashington.com. Accessed 23 December 2015. http://kerrywashington.com/kw/about/