Michelle Obama's hip-hop era is also the Oprah era, a time in which women have gained enormous influence by dominating channels that the male-dominated political scene did not always recognize as serious, like daytime and television and mainstream pop music. While that other Lady O was not present in Austin, her spirit, grounded in the optimistic belief that entertainment can be uplifting and that listening to ordinary women can make a difference, permeated the roundtable. The keynote's two other participants were also in the culture industry: the actress Sophia Bush, known for her role in One Tree Hill, a show beloved by teenage girls; and Diane Warren, the mega-successful songwriter behind hits for divas like Celine Dion and that multivalent mainstay, Beyonce. Warren, whose co-write with Lady Gaga, "Til It Happens to You," addressed the tough subject of rape and was nominated for an Academy Award, recently penned the charity single "This Is for My Girls" to benefit Obama's Let Girls Learn education initiative, which provided a focus for this roundtable. Bush is known for using social media to promote causes ranging from environmentalism to marriage equality. By convening this gathering, placing herself among women whose power originates in their work as culture-makers, Obama made a strong statement about how pop can influence social consciousness: "Right now, you're practicing utilizing your power," she said to the audience of aspiring musicians and music-biz professionals, congenially challenging them to think of this week's South by Southwest hustle as a political act.
