Look What SHE Did! to Host Women’s History Month Celebration Honoring Champions of Free Speech
Bonnie Abaunza, a human rights activist of 46 years, speaks about LA County Supervisor Lindsey Horvath for Look What SHE Did!'s short film series.
March 29 event at The Ebell of Los Angeles to feature films, live conversation, silent auction and archive partnership announcement.
The stories of the women profiled in the Look What SHE Did! archive are grounded in authentic history. Remembering and celebrating these women invites us to reimagine the world they helped shape.”
LOS ANGELES, CA, UNITED STATES, March 11, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Look What SHE Did!, the Los Angeles–based nonprofit dedicated to celebrating extraordinary women through short documentary films, will host a Women’s History Month celebration honoring Champions of Free Speech at The Ebell of Los Angeles, the city’s oldest women’s club.— Debra J.T. Padilla
The March 29 program will bring together filmmakers, cultural leaders and civic voices for an afternoon of film and conversation centered on the defense of free expression. At a time when free speech is being debated across classrooms, legislatures and media platforms, the event will spotlight women who have shaped and defended that right across generations. “Free speech is not only about having the right to speak; it is also about finding the courage to speak,” said Julie Hébert, founder of Look What SHE Did!. “Bonnie Abaunza’s lifelong commitment to humanitarian causes and social impact inspires the courage to speak up for what is good and fair. It is a courage we dearly need right now.”
The program will recognize humanitarian and human rights advocate Bonnie Abaunza, whose career spans more than two decades of social impact campaigns connecting film, policy and global justice.
Through her company, The Abaunza Group and the social impact agency GSD, Abaunza works with filmmakers, nonprofit organizations and international institutions to develop campaigns addressing issues including refugee rights, human trafficking, campus sexual assault and girls’ education. Her work has supported advocacy efforts around films such as “Hotel Rwanda,” “Blood Diamond,” “Lord of War,” “Food, Inc.,” “The Hunting Ground,” “I Am Jane Doe,” “Cries From Syria,” “The Breadwinner” and “ROMA,” many of which focus on the rights and safety of women and girls.
Abaunza has also supported humanitarian responses for Afghan women and girls and refugee communities from Ukraine, Haiti, Venezuela and Darfur. She received a 2024 News & Documentary Emmy nomination as executive producer of the documentary “Freedom on Fire: Ukraine’s Fight for Freedom.” The program will also honor the legacy of Ida B. Wells, the pioneering investigative journalist and co-founder of the NAACP who risked her life to expose racial violence and defend the rights of Black Americans and women. Remarks will be delivered by Kimberly M. Usher, far west regional director of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc.
During the program, The Ebell and Look What SHE Did! will announce a new partnership that will bring LWSD’s archive of more than 150 short films into The Ebell’s cultural programming.
“As an organization devoted to amplifying women’s voices, The Ebell of Los Angeles is proud to shine a light on the Look What SHE Did! films featuring powerful stories about women, created by women,” said The Ebell CEO Dr. Stacy Brightman.
The celebration will include a silent auction benefiting Look What SHE Did!’s film production and educational initiatives. Featured items include a private script consultation with Academy Award–nominated screenwriter Dana Stevens, known for writing “The Woman King” and “Fatherhood.”
The event is sponsored by the Renée B. Fisher Foundation.
“The stories of the women profiled in the Look What SHE Did! archive are grounded in authentic history,” said Debra J.T. Padilla, interim executive director. “Remembering and celebrating these women invites us to reimagine the world they helped shape.”
Event Details
What: Women’s History Month Celebration Honoring Champions of Free Speech
When: Sunday, March 29, 2026 | 2 p.m. to 4 p.m.
Where: The Ebell of Los Angeles
Host: Look What SHE Did!
Tickets available for $75 at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/champions-of-free-speech-presented-by-look-what-she-did-at-the-ebell-tickets-1983650878175
About Look What SHE Did!
Look What SHE Did! produces short documentary films celebrating extraordinary women whose work has shaped culture, civic life and the arts. The organization’s archive includes more than 150 films used in classrooms and cultural institutions nationwide.
For more information, visit: https://lookwhatshedid.com
About The Ebell of Los Angeles
Founded in 1894, The Ebell of Los Angeles supports the educational and cultural advancement of women and serves as a historic gathering space for civic dialogue and artistic expression. For more information, visit: https://www.ebellofla.org
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Bonnie Abaunza on Lindsey Horvath
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