Ava DuVernay was born on August 24, 1972, on the 24th of August 1972 in Long Beach California. DuVernay was raised by her Aunt Denise, who encouraged DuVernay to become creative and inspired by art. DuVernay worked as a night nurse in order to give her aunt to have the time she required during the days to be able to enjoy writing, theatre and literature. DuVernay was first introduced to the film West Side Story by her aunt. DuVernay discovered through her example that art was a vehicle for activism. DuVernay grew up with her mother who was socially aware and showed her how she could use the arts to find a way to express herself. Though DuVernay was raised in Compton with her family, she always spent summers with her family in Lowndes County Alabama where her dad's family was a part of the same for several generations. Her father was awed by the Civil Rights movement's historic march through the Edmund Pettus Bridge, in neighboring Selma Alabama. Her time in Selma inspired her...