Director and screenwriter Ava DuVernay is featured on one of the four special covers of Ebony Magazine’s December 2016/January 2017 “Power 100” issue. EBONY’S Keith Reed wrote, about the issue, “This year’s EBONY ‘Power 100’ celebrates our doers, risk takers and makers of things.”

Along with the other cover stars, Nas, Simone Biles and John Legend, Ava’s message is a powerful one. It brought to light the feelings that accompany challenging life events. While juggling all of her successful projects, which followed her award-winning “Selma” – “13th”,”August 28: A Day In The Life Of A People”, Oprah Winfrey Network’s “Queen Sugar”, and Disney’s “A Wrinkle in Time” – Ava experienced personal loss when her father passed away. Though her various commitments kept her busy and distracted from her grief, Ava expressed her feelings on what all of her accomplishments means to her now. “I feel grateful for all of it, but I’m also putting it all into context,” she told EBONY. “This year was a beautiful year for me professionally, but also I lost my father. When you’re sitting on top of the world, you want to be sitting there with the people who you love. I’d rather him be here than any of this happening.”

When asked about the pressures of the industry, Ava’s perspective is optimistic. She told EBONY, “I don’t feel pressure until [a project] is getting close to coming out. I just focus on the joy of making it. I hope that lasts.”

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