When Facts are Scrubbed, Art & Creativity Must Thrive

Last night’s broadcast of the 67th Grammy Awards gave me the best kind of chills, because in addition to honoring the LA County Fire Department and showcasing galaxy-level performances, the ceremony was a masterclass in the power of cultural representation. From boundary-breaking wins to acceptance speeches expressed in the name of solidarity, the night was a bold reminder of how art can celebrate diversity in ways our government and institutions too often fail to—especially now.?

Last week, the EPA quietly buried climate change information on its website, and multiple government pages dedicated to foreign aid and vulnerable communities vanished overnight. A new directive has effectively erased references to gender inclusivity from federal platforms. This isn’t just bureaucratic housekeeping—it’s an erasure of identities, experiences, and scientific facts.?

In times like these, creative and cultural experiences like the Grammys become even more essential. They serve as counterweights to exclusion, amplifying voices that policies attempt to silence. When diverse artists and musicians from historically underrepresented communities take center stage, they do more than entertain—they assert existence, demand recognition, and create a blueprint for the inclusive world we need.

Here are a few notable quotes from last night's honorees making headlines.

"DEI is not a threat, it's a gift." -Alicia Keys

"I want to dedicate this award to all my immigrant brothers and sisters in this country. You are loved, you are worth it, and I will always fight with you."?- Shakira?

“Trans people are not invisible. Trans people deserve love. The queer community deserves to be lifted up. Music is love.” - Lady Gaga

This year’s Grammys showed us that diversity isn’t a checkbox. It’s a palpable force that fuels creativity, progress, and justice. And when systems try to erase marginalized voices, it’s up to us to turn up the volume elsewhere.?

Sundance Impact

The decibels on the importance of social impact, diversity, and climate action rang loud and proud at the Sundance Film Festival in January. Wielding their craft as a tool for empathy and action, filmmakers presenting this year confronted, exposed, and challenged the status quo, reminding that stories have the power to break down borders—between nations, between ideologies, and between people who have been conditioned to see one another as “other.”

In an era where federal websites scrub climate science and gender inclusivity from public view, and where entire histories risk being rewritten or erased, storytelling is our lifeline. It's a way to document, to bear witness, and to create the kind of change that policy alone cannot. When institutions fail us, culture steps in. When governments backtrack on progress, art moves forward.

At The Impact Lounge, Earth Lounge, and 2050 House, industry leaders, activists, and creatives came together to redefine storytelling’s role in this pivotal moment. I had the pleasure of moderating sessions featuring filmmakers and advocates including Ramfis Myrthil, who premiered his film Ricky at the festival with rave reviews, Juliette Richey, COO of Picture Motion, Carmiel Banasky, VP of Editorial at Good Energy,?Sarah Mosses, founder of Together Films, and Heather Fipps, Senior Program Director at The Redford Center and cofounder of the Hollywood Climate Summit. They’re showing us that?stories don’t just reflect the world—they paint a new vision of what we can create together.? And in a time when so much is at stake, their work ensures that truth, justice, and humanity remain visible.?

Holding the Line?

In the face of recent federal actions aimed at dismantling Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives and suppressing climate science, business leaders have a pivotal role in upholding these critical values. Several companies have already discontinued or rolled back their DEI programs, including Walmart, Target, Meta, McDonald’s, Amazon, Ford, Lowe’s, and Harley- Davidson. But there’s still hope for others. Companies that want to ensure DEI is upheld can establish regular training sessions, create diversity councils, and set measurable goals to ensure accountability.?

Rather than treating DEI as a peripheral concern, businesses integrate it into the fabric of their mission and operations. This involves aligning DEI objectives with business goals, ensuring that inclusivity drives decision-making processes, and fostering a culture where diverse perspectives are valued. By doing so, DEI becomes indispensable to a company's success.

And of course, business leaders can partner with other businesses, non-profits, and community groups that are committed to DEI and environmental sustainability. There are plenty of organizations out there that have put years of effort into lowering their carbon emission and mitigating their impacts and dependencies on nature. If you’re one of them, keep publicly disclosing your company's environmental practices and sustainability goals. Transparency not only builds trust with stakeholders, it also holds your organization accountable for its environmental impact.

Without a healthy planet, there will be no place to create jobs, products, or profit. Without DEI, we're looking at a world more likely laden with wage gaps, segregation, innovation decline, hostile environments, an erosion of civil rights protections, and missed economic growth. The Trump Administration’s attempt at undoing progress on DEI and accessability and its denial that climate change exists will perpetuate this—if we let it. So, it’s up to our states, cities, local communities, organizers, and creators to take the lead. We were all born to create. Let’s live our birthright to the fullest.