Commentary

Sep 9, 20243 min read

How storytelling preserves traditions of reciprocity, resilience, and hope

What could happen to advance healthy culture in Black and Indigenous communities if people knew the truth about our culture?

Apr 24, 20244 min read

Commentary

Ecosystem for a New American Narrative

The field of documentary impact has evolved to consider the ways in which filmmakers of color leverage this powerful art form into action.

On Mourning as a Motive Force: Grief and Black-Palestinian Solidarity

Oct 17, 20235 min read

Commentary

On Mourning as a Motive Force: Grief and Black-Palestinian Solidarity

No one should have to suffer this particular juncture of violence or experience state-sponsored genocide as both Jews and Palestinians have.

Jul 26, 20234 min read

Commentary

From Rural America with Love

It was powerful for me to experience a supportive space with people from rural and urban areas.

Weaving the opposite of fascism: Narrative organizing to build narrative power

Jun 15, 20238 min read

Commentary

Weaving the opposite of fascism: Narrative organizing to build narrative power

I have myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME) from Long Covid, formerly called chronic fatigue syndrome. I first shared these thoughts while...

Art is at the Heart of Disability Justice

Jun 8, 202317 min read

Commentary

Art is at the Heart of Disability Justice

An estimated 7.5% of the adult population in the United States is now living with long COVID, the long-term or chronic effects of a COVID...

Jun 7, 202310 min read

Commentary

Storytelling Can Move Mountains

In 2011, Tania Mattos started working with filmmaker Christina Antonakos-Wallace when she was a leader in the fight for the New York...

Changing the Conversation Around Reproductive Justice

May 12, 20237 min read

Commentary

Changing the Conversation Around Reproductive Justice

“Reproductive justice” was first coined in 1994 by the Women of African Descent for Reproductive Justice and defined in 1997 by Sister...

SxSW 2023: A Place for Narrative to Thrive

Apr 6, 20234 min read

Commentary

SxSW 2023: A Place for Narrative to Thrive

Two weeks ago, I descended into Austin, Texas for week two of the SxSW conference and festival. It’s a real-life gathering of folks who...

Feb 17, 202312 min read

Commentary

Fleshing Out History

Throughout American history, efforts to bring the stories and lived experiences of people of color into the broader American narrative...

Dec 5, 20223 min read

Commentary

Facing Race: A National Conference 2022

Two weeks ago, Narrative Initiative took our goodies to the Facing Race conference in Phoenix. The conference is sponsored by my former...

Jun 28, 20223 min read

Commentary

Gender is a story we tell ourselves

The first time I read Yoon Ha Lee’s Ninefox Gambit, I was captivated by the worldbuilding and the story’s overarching military conflict....

Apr 14, 20224 min read

Commentary

We all have narrative power

Some of the most interesting and revelatory conversations I’ve had about politics and life have been in the back of a cab. This is a...

What listening to Rusty Mae Moore taught me about narrative change

Mar 18, 20223 min read

Commentary

What listening to Rusty Mae Moore taught me about narrative change

From 2015-2018, I was an interviewer with the New York Trans Oral History Project (NYTOP). A friend had convinced me to join because I...

Five films we’re watching at Sundance Film Festival

Jan 13, 20222 min read

Commentary

Five films we’re watching at Sundance Film Festival

The iconic Sundance Film Festival is coming up next week, from January 20th to the 30th, in a virtual format. As always, we’re looking...

A 2021 narrative reading list to launch your 2022

Dec 21, 202112 min read

Commentary

A 2021 narrative reading list to launch your 2022

We’re gathering up the articles, essays, resources, podcasts and more that made us think about how narrative change is working today....

Terms of Abuse: White Supremacy, Structural Racism and White Nationalism

Jun 30, 20215 min read

Commentary

Terms of Abuse: White Supremacy, Structural Racism and White Nationalism

Scot Nakagawa is a Senior Partner at ChangeLab. Scot has spent more than four decades exploring questions of structural racism, white...

Jun 16, 20215 min read

Commentary

Systems Language for Narrative Power

Science fiction is full of all-knowing villains. They can’t be understood or defeated. The unknown, as storytellers from H. G. Wells to...

Mar 8, 20218 min read

Commentary

How to do Intersectionality

This article was originally published in 2017 by Rinku Sen. Over the last five years, intersectionality has become a buzzword and an...

Feminist political organizing offers lessons in narrative power

Feb 9, 20215 min read

Case Studies

Feminist political organizing offers lessons in narrative power

Feminist narratives are powering some of the most important movements of the 21st century by turning anger to joy, creating care in...

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