Ava DuVernay and Autumn Riley

Ava DuVernay is a Californian born in Long Beach, California on the 24th of August, 1972. DuVernay was raised by her aunt Denise, who encouraged DuVernay to become creative and drawn by art. She worked as a night nurse so that she could give her aunt to have the time she needed in her day to indulge in the arts, literature and theater. DuVernay was introduced to the 1961 movie West Side Story by her aunt. DuVernay learned by example that art was an instrument for social activism. Similarly DuVernay's mother was socially conscious and taught that she could express her thoughts through art. While DuVernay grew up in Compton and with her extended family, she spent every summer living in Lowndes County Alabama where her parents lived for many generations. Her father recalled watching the Civil Rights movement's historic march across the Edmund Pettus Bridge, in the nearby town of Selma Alabama. DuVernay's time in Selma, Alabama would inspire her later to create a documentary about Martin Luther King Jr. Martin Luther King Jr. In 1990 DuVernay completed her studies at Saint Joseph High School in Lakewood California. She went to the University of California Los Angeles to earn degrees in English and African American Studies. DuVernay discovered a passion for the field of broadcast journalism while a student. DuVernay began her career as an intern for CBS News during the O.J. Simpson trial. DuVernay recalls being given an assignment to watch the house and examining the waste of one of jurors. Following her disappointment with journalism by the tasks she was given, DuVernay decided to pursue a career in the field of publicity. DuVernay was hired for her first gig as a publicist at an unassuming production studio after graduating from college. In this role, she launched her own firm of public relations named The DuVernay Agency in 1999. Her company launched a range different lifestyle and promotional networks such as Urban Beauty Collective and Urban Eye. Autumn Riley.............................Autumn Riley was born in Los Angeles United States. The birthstone for Autumn Riley is . The actress is famous for American Experience (1987) and A More Perfect Union (2009). Autumn was the Rose of A More Perfect Union and Anna Payne of American Experience.