Rita Usher is a Grassroots Organizer and Independent Filmmaker from South LA with a diverse background in grassroots organizing, issue advocacy, education, and film production. She began her advocacy career as the Southern Field Associate for URGE (Unite for Reproductive and Gender Equity), where she organized reproductive justice chapters on college campuses in Alabama and Georgia. Rita later served as a Training Fellow for the Progressive Change Campaign Committee, supporting local and state candidates through fundraising, volunteer recruitment, training, and technology. Holding an MFA in Film Directing from Columbia College Chicago, Rita has worked as a Showrunners Assistant on the AMC thriller 61st Street and enjoys directing short coming-of-age adventure films. Before joining America On Tech as a Program Manager, she taught English Language Arts as a substitute teacher in South LA. In her spare time, Rita enjoys watching films, reading, and creating content for her social media show Diaries of a Filmmaker.
