This combination photo shows actress Viola Davis, during the Toronto International Film Festival in Toronto on Sept. 9, 2018, left, and Congresswoman Shirley Chisholm, D-N.Y., the first black woman elected to Congress, in 1971. (AP Photo)
LOS ANGELES (AP) --
Oscar-winning actress Viola Davis is gearing up to play groundbreaking politician Shirley Chisholm in a film for Amazon Studios.
The company said Thursday that Davis has signed on to star in and produce the project about Chisholm, who was the first black woman ever elected to the United States Congress and the first woman to seek the Democratic Party's presidential nomination.
She represented New York's 12th District in the House of Representatives from 1969 to 1983, and sought the presidential nomination in 1972. Chisholm died in 2005 at age 80.
Maggie Betts will direct Davis in "The Fighting Shirley Chisholm" off of a screenplay from "Silicon Valley" writer Adam Countee.
The Hollywood trade website Deadline first reported the news.
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg speaks during the tech giant's Connect developer conference in Menlo Park, Calif., Sept. 27, 2023. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez, File)
Joining companies such as John Deere and Walmart, Facebook and Instagram's parent company Meta Platforms Inc. is getting rid of its diversity, equity and inclusion program that includes hiring, training and picking vendors, a company spokesperson confirmed on Friday.
The move, which was first reported by Axios, comes on the heels of the social media giant's decision to end its third-party fact-checking program and scale back policies on hate speech and abuse.
Citing an internal memo sent to employees, Axios said the Menlo Park, California-based tech giant said the U.S. Supreme Court "has recently made decisions signaling a shift in how courts will approach DEI. … The term 'DEI' has also become charged, in part because it is understood by some as a practice that suggests preferential treatment of some groups over others."
In practice, this means Meta will no longer have a team focused on diversity and inclusion and the company said it will instead "focus on how to apply fair and consistent practices that mitigate bias for all, no matter your background."
The company will also end its "diverse slate approach" to hiring, which meant that a diverse pool of candidates was considered for every open position.
Other companies that have ended DEI programs recently include McDonald's, automaker Ford, Walmart and farm equipment maker John Deere.
Amazon also said it is halting some of its DEI programs, although it did not specify which ones. In a Dec. 16 memo to employees that Amazon shared on Friday, Candi Castleberry, a senior human resources executive, said the company has been "winding down outdated programs and materials, and we're aiming to complete that by the end of 2024."
