The United Way of Jamaica (UWJ) will be hosting the premiere of Hollywood blockbuster The Woman King at the Palace Cineplex in St Andrew on Tuesday, September 27.

All proceeds from the evening will go towards bolstering UWJ’s efforts to drive social change in education, health, and income stability.

The Woman King stars Academy Award-winning actress Viola Davis as well as Bond girl Lashana Lynch, who has Jamaican roots. Other cast members include Hero Fiennes Tiffin, Thuso Mbedu, and Sheila Atim.

“A movie like this is about so much more than the big budget and hype,” said Chorvelle Johnson Cunningham, board chair at UWJ, and immediate past chair of Women’s Leadership Initiative (WLI).

“It is a unique opportunity for us as women working assiduously in the private voluntary sector, to see ourselves and our work as a continuation of the battles fought by those women in our ancestry against unfavourable odds,” she continued.

Johnson Cunningham’s words echo sentiments expressed by leading lady Davis, who has said: “I don’t need to have a sword to be a warrior — I have the warrior spirit in me. I feel like so much of what you have to fight for as a dark-skinned woman, just living in the world where people just say, ‘You’re not attractive, you’re not valued, you’re not any of those things.’ And then you get to a point where all those obstacles actually become your fuel and lead to this moment.”

The première draws on the support of UWJ partners, including FirstRock Capital Holdings Limited and Sherwin Williams Company.

The UWJ was established in 1985 to fulfill the need for a sustainable system of mobilising resources for the social sector. The organisation brings philanthropic partners, volunteers, community leaders and other stakeholders together with the singular aim of efficiently mobilising resources to transform lives and create social value. The organisation supports initiatives in three focus areas: health, education and income generation.