Names and faces
■ Arizona State University has named its new film school after legendary actor and filmmaker Sidney Poitier at a ceremony Monday.
The decision to name the school after Poitier, 93, is about much more than an emphasis on diversity, said Michael Crow, president of the university, in an interview ahead of the unveiling. “You’re looking for an icon, a person that embodies everything you stand for,” Crow said. “With Sidney Poitier, it’s his creative energy, his dynamism, his drive, his ambition, the kinds of projects he worked on, the ways in which he advanced his life.” The university did not make Poitier, who has been out of the public eye for some time, available for an interview. His daughter Beverly Poitier-Henderson told The Associated Press her father was “doing well and enjoying his family,” and considered it an honor to be the namesake of the new film school. Poitier-Henderson and two of Poitier’s other daughters described in interviews how the film school’s emphasis on inclusivity and access aligned with their father’s long-held ideals. “If it has my Dad’s name on it, it has to be inclusive, because that’s the foundation of who he is and what he stands for,” said Anika Poitier, like her father a filmmaker. Sydney Poitier Heartsong, the actor’s youngest daughter, noted that the two most important things to her father as she grew up were education and the arts. “Those are the two tracks that run throughout his life, that define what he has contributed and defined what he felt was important to impart to his kids. …. the arts were also a form of education. He wanted to pass that on to all young people but specifically young people of color.”
■ Grace Tame, a 26-yearold woman who pushed for legal changes so she could speak out about being a survivor of sexual abuse, has been named Australian of the Year for her advocacy work on behalf of abuse survivors. Tame became the first woman in Tasmania state to win the right to publicly name herself as a sexual abuse survivor, allowing her to speak about the abuse she went through as a 15-year-old at the hands of a math teacher. Prior to her legal victory, Tame was barred from speaking publicly about the crimes in which she was a victim, while her abuser — who was jailed — was legally able to tell his story. Tame said she was dedicating the award to all survivors of child seaxual abuse. “This is for us,” she said. After advocacy from Tame and Nina Funnell, who started the campaign #Let Her Speak, Tasmania’s laws preventing survivors from speaking out were overturned. Tame said she wants a greater focus on education and prevention of child sexual assault. She said grooming and psychological manipulation by abusers is a big problem. “They thrive when we fight amongst ourselves and weaponize all our vulnerabilities,” Tame said. “This year and beyond, my focus is on empowering survivors and education as a primary means of prevention.”