On Tuesday I had the privilege of attending the first of the CHAT series. Chat is a series of live events designed to engage, entertain, educate, inspire and make change. The series organizers present “thought leaders, renowned speakers, celebrities and influencers to audiences around the world.” The series is beginning with a focus on women’s empowerment and the kick-off event was a chat between Amy Poehler and Paul Rudd at Kansas City’s own Muriel Kauffman theatre at the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts. Rudd’s mother is one of the series organizers and his serving as the evening’s moderator was…

I think one of the challenges about social justice issues, and social justice films, is how inured we have become to them. Though we as Americans can fairly be accused of apathy—when one looks at voter turnout, for instance—I believe most people do care about justice. But so many of us feel overwhelmed by the sheer volume of need, the expanse of injustices perpetrated around the world—from Selma to Syria—that we don’t know where to begin. Though we want to be “part of the solution,” we feel ill equipped to make a dent in such seemingly insurmountable problems. When I…