American Foundation for Equal Rights

BRIDGING THE GAP BETWEEN ENTERTAINMENT & PHILANTHROPY TO AFFECT CHANGE

In 2008, California’s Proposition 8 amended the state’s constitution to deny same-sex couples the right to marry. THE AMERICAN FOUNDATION FOR EQUAL RIGHTS (AFER) was formed—the sole sponsor of the federal case (Hollingsworth v. Perry) challenging the constitutionality of Proposition 8. HAWKINS MIKITA assisted in the exponential growth of AFER’s social media by way of grassroots management & meaningful celebrity engagement around key decision days throughout the case. Additionally, Hawkins Mikita produced, cast, and executed 8 The Play at the Wilshire Ebell Theater on March 3, 2012 – starring Brad Pitt, George Clooney, Jane Lynch & Chris Colfer, to name a few. Through campaign strategy and execution, Hawkins Mikita brought hundreds of media impressions to help engage the nation in the conversation around marriage equality, as well as net nearly $2 million dollars to support the case. HM also managed the first ever livestream partnership on YouTube of the event, which engaged nearly 200k live viewers. Hawkins Mikita continued its work with AFER as they brought the Virginia marriage equality lawsuit – Bostic v. Rainey – to the Supreme Court and the freedom to marry to the first state in the American south.