You can’t be what you can’t see.
Angelica Lisk-Hann may not always be the star of the movies and television shows she’s had a hand in, but she is helping young women see themselves through her work as one of Hollywood’s most underrated gems — the Black stuntwoman.
She recently joined Gold Bond alongside Grammy-award-winning singer/songwriter, and Mary J. Blige, and fellow stuntwoman and founder of Diamond in the Raw, La Faye Baker in a virtual event to champion diversity in stunts.
The Gold Bond #ChampionYourSkin campaign celebrates the women who put themselves to the test to break down barriers for themselves and others with a special spotlight and give back initiative to Black stuntwomen, the ones who almost never get the recognition that they deserve.
Quite the boundary breaker herself, Lisk-Hann is one of the few Black stunt coordinators in the business and the first Black woman to hold the position in Canada.
“We’re here, you just have to look for us,” she told Shadow and Act. “You just have to put in a little bit of effort, make a few phone calls because it’s a small industry, but if you look, you’ll find us.”
She wants people to imagine being a Black woman and finally getting the desired role that you’ve worked hard for and having to look over and see a white woman being painted down- essentially another term for Black face — when a scene calls for a stunt-double.
Lisk-Hann believes that the second half that makes up the character when it comes to stunts be reflected by the actor’s actual ethnicity.
“All I want from our industry is for the second half of a Black person to be portrayed by someone who’s the same ethnicity as they are,” continued Lisk-Hann. ” It’s really not that hard.”
Be a #SkinChampion. Learn more about how to help support Black stuntwomen, how Gold Bond’s high-performance products champion them, and find out more about @GoldBond, @DITRFoundation, and the one and only @therealmaryjblige. pic.twitter.com/ByUTHqjeAN
— Angelica Lisk-Hann (@AngelicaLisk) February 23, 2021
While there’s still a long way to go, she explains that the industry does indeed have professional Black women that are stunt drivers, can ride motorcycles, and so forth.
“I’m so excited to be a part of the #ChampionYourSkin campaign because it’s the first time that I’ve ever gotten the chance to be a part of something on this scale,” said Lisk-Hann. “Not only are we spotlighting Black stuntwomen, but we’re giving back to young girls so that they too can see themselves reflected in the industry.”
Diamond in the Raw is a non-profit founded by stuntwoman La Faye Baker, that is devoted to empowering and transforming the lives of girls who are at-risk or in foster care through the arts.
“As an African American stuntwoman, I noticed that there weren’t a lot of Black women working behind the scenes, especially in stunts,” said Baker. “I thought it would be wise to create a non-profit to introduce young girls to behind-the-scenes entertainment careers.”
As a part of the #ChampionYourSkin campaign, Gold Bond will give back to Diamond in the Raw through a contribution to support its “Skin Champions Stunt Workshop” program.
The program will launch this summer and will provide guidance for young Black women that aspire to enter the stunt industry.
To find out more about the program and how to apply, click here.
