On February 26, Mr. Okpalugo's Grade 12 history elective, Sports and Society, welcomed Megan Reid, Director of Literary Scouting and Development at FX. Ms. Reid was visiting to talk about two of her projects: (1) Editing and publishing the memoir of American ballerina Misty Copeland and (2) writing a children's book on Althea Gibson, the first black woman to win a tennis Grand Slam.

 

On June 30, 2015, Misty made history by becoming the very first African-American female principal dancer in the American Ballet Theatre’s seventy-five-year history. Reid spoke about Copeland's unconventional entrée into the ballet world through the Boys and Girls Club, and the hardships and blessings she encountered. Bringing Althea Gibson into the conversation, we spoke about questions of body image and race that often characterize the historically-white and elite worlds of tennis and ballet. Reid spoke about how proud she is to have helped bring Gibson and Copeland’s life stories to thousands of readers, and how these black women's daily example of continually defying expectations, going after what they deserve, remaining devoted to their passions, and dedicated to passing along what they'd learned continues to be a daily inspiration, especially for someone in her position as the only female executive of color at FX.

 

 

Grade 12 History class, Stage and Screen: Race, Gender, and Representation, welcomed Megan Reid, Director of Literary Scouting and Development at FX. As the only female executive of color at FX, she has a unique perspective of the industry. Ms. Reid has spent the past 2 years scouting and making recommendations to the network on which current books and graphic novels should be turned into shows for the network. She spoke about trying to create programming that is relevant to viewers but also had a positive impact on society.

 

"There have been stories that we were interested in, but given the current climate, we decided to not move forward," said Ms. Reid. "In an era of #METOO, how do we represent those voices in a way that is real, humorous and shines light?" The class had the opportunity to hear about the triumphs and challenges that arise when creating television through the lens of a woman of color in the industry.

 

Ms. Reid also shared with some of the projects in the works for the network and shows we can expect to see on television in the near future, while also sharing that Pose, Better Things, and Atlanta were some of her favorite shows.