Inspiration and Real Life Superhero Ciera Foster

Today we’d like to introduce you to Ciera Foster.

Ciera Foster is an actress, activist and public speaker as well as one of the first leading female black superheroes as Valiant Comic’s Livewire. Ciera is the former Director of the United Nations Women’s LA Speaker’s Beauru. Ciera’s journey of activism started long before she was an artist. At just nineteen, the student athlete began working part-time at San Francisco County Jail as an interview agent for the SF Pre Trial Diversion Program, a government-funded nonprofit program designed to allow individuals who are not high risk or first-time offenders to be released from jail under a judge approved agreement to return to court for trial. A former NCAA athlete and State Champion finalist (Women’s basketball) Ciera also learned the nature of giving back through various community outreach programs for NCAA student-athletes to enrich the community. After Ciera’s athletic career ended Ciera continued to fight for both student and teacher equality in the education system. Prior to graduating university, Ciera was a paid full-time student ambassador and organizer for Students for Quality Education and the CTA, California Teachers Association. Ciera holds three degrees in social behavioral science in the fields of Psychology, Ethnic Studies, and Women & Gender Studies. The artist /activist resides on the foundation board for 2020 democratic presidential billionaire candidate Tom Steyer, in addition to being a public speaker/ambassador for his presidential campaign speaking on environmental, racial, economic, and human rights issues. Ciera is a former five years Ambassador for Artist for Peace in Haiti in as well as several other social justice & human rights charities and organizations.

Additionally, Ciera replaced Sharon Stone as a public speaker /ambassador and organizer for the Water Underground Project, which provided clean drinking water wells in Mozambiqu Africa. An experience that particularly changed Ciera’s life was taking some time off from acting and working as a supervisor for young girls and teens in Foster Care at a 1500 acre residential behavioral treatment center (Foster Care facility). This experienced even further expanded Ciera’s empathy and overall perspective on the world, especially children in the foster care system. Ciera vows to as her career and platform expands to never forget the much-needed reform the children need and deserve within the foster care system. As previously mentioned Ciera’s fight for justice in the black and brown community holds origins nearly a decade long, working in the nonprofit government sector fighting for justice of incarcerated men and women as a director for O.R. Own Recognize in SF county jail. With nearly a decade of international human rights and public speaking experience, Ciera Foster is the founder of the nonprofit organization Black Allies Speak and co-founder of B.L.A.C – Black Leadership Allied Coalition which she founded and co-founded after the May 2020 killing of George Floyd by police officers. In the spring through fall of 2020, Ciera Foster led over twenty-five marches, gave over twenty speeches and participated in over thirty protests leading a combined total of well over one hundred thousand protestors over the course of four months. On July 12, 2020 Ciera led and co-organized the largest “Black & Brown Unity March” in the history of Los Angeles between the African American and Hispanic communities. Ciera has appeared on multiple publications and news broadcast from her public speaking and passion for human rights and equality.

In March 2017, Ciera led the Women’s March on behalf of the United Nations Women’s Los Angles Chapter and also rallied for female equality across the board appearing on NBC and CNBC news broadcasts as the organizations official spokeswomen. In the summer of 2020 Ciera Foster was profiled by the Guardian and featured on the cover the Daily Mail alongside Vice President Mike Pence for her powerful and uplifting Juneteenth speech. Ciera was also profiled by the Guardian for her activism efforts on behalf of freeing immigrant children in cages and the black lives matter movement this summer. In addition to public speaking on human rights issues Ciera conducts free live mental health streams on her social media when she’s not filming as well as private seminars for companies and various organizations. Some of Ciera’s 2020 seminars and webinars included a TAY TALK for High-Risk youth foster care, an anti-domestic violence empowerment seminar at LAPD headquarters for domestic violence survivors, and online Cadet Talks for young future officers entering law enforcement currently serving in the cadet program via nonprofit programs looking to build bridges between the next generation of law enforcement and the black and brow communities.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
While I have been blessed to see the beautiful side of humanity through the chaos of 2020, and for that I’m extraordinarily grateful but the road to activism in 2020 has definitely not been “smooth”. Being a public activist comes with many risks especially when you have any type of public platform… but that comes with territory of fighting for a cause you believe in. I think we can all agree 2020 in itself has not been easy for any of us. However, I had to really take extra care to focus on the positive when it came to the gaslighting behind the black lives matter movement. Additionally, the stigma that was attached to the movement by the press and those in opposition to the cause was terribly frustrating as it simply wasn’t true. Being the person on the ground seeing the love and unity and then being accused of “making trouble” while simply peacefully uniting to protect black lives, it can be maddening if you allow it. The thought that people can take something so pure and spew it with hate and inaccuracies just seemed not only unfair but unreal especially given one of the biggest threats to our society is domestic terrorism which many who are privileged don’t have the same vigor to call out – that is highly frustrating. That said let me be clear I don’t condone any wrong doing but I was dumbfounded initially by the blatant hypocrisy and mass generalization of the entire movement.

I’ve become more painfully aware as a country founded upon slavery it’s only natural that we have more work to do. I do not allow myself to become discouraged by certain actions or mindsets no matter how disappointing they may be. I am hyper-aware that collectively we do not share the same experiences as individuals let alone as members differing ethnic groups. And thus, our empathy meter is incredibly low yet it’s not lost on me that it’s still the highest it’s ever been. – People who’ve never stepped foot at a protest will often try to construct the narrative to rectify their own internal misalignment. Sometimes this is intentional privilege in play and sometimes it’s literally just due to ignorance, a lack of understanding so far removed from the individuals experience empathy is never accessed. This mentality I feel is one of our primary challenges to overcome. With my background in psychology, I fundamentally get that. For others, acknowledgment of an issue means reconciling privilege and many people are still not yet ready or willing to do that difficult self-work. However, we must get to a place collectively in which we empathize with one another simply as human beings regardless of our differences. One of my favorite quotes is, “If we change the way we lookout things, the things we look at change.” That said, I choose to look at the immense diversity and progress as fuel for the road ahead no matter how bumpy it may be.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I’m an actress, activist and public speaker. My passion is acting but my purpose is to inspire, empower and giveback. I’m also a martial artist and an athlete. I am most proud of my humanitarian work. The thing that sets me apart from everyone else is the beautiful thing that sets us all apart, there is only one of us.

Is there something surprising that you feel even people who know you might not know about?
I’m VERY silly. I love to dance. The ocean is my happy place. I practically lived two years in Rome.

Contact Info:

• Email: CourageOverFear@gmailcom
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cierafosterofficial/?hl=en
• Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/actresscierafoster/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/cierafoster_?lang=en
• Youtube: https://youtu.be/w5Pc1YMwTpg
• Other: https://youtu.be/fA30zQk9ZqE

Image Credits
-Leigh’s Kingsley @lKingsley7
– Amplify LA @amlify_la
– Dom Martinez @Photobydomm
– RMG Agencey @RMG_agency
– Fiestabanphoto @Fiestabanphoto
– Valerie Macon @ValerieMacon
-Daily Mail @DailyMail
– Chelsea Lauren @ChelseaLaurenla
– Ethan DeHoyos @ec_visuals_
– Carrie Schreck @rehabforcandy
– Sean Becker – Carmitchel
– Panorama Publication (Venezuela)
-Associated Foreign Press