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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
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.

Oct 17, 20235 min read
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
From Rural America with Love
It was powerful for me to experience a supportive space with people from rural and urban areas.


Jun 15, 20238 min read
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...


Jun 8, 202317 min read
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...


Jun 7, 202310 min read
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...

May 12, 20237 min read
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...


Apr 6, 20234 min read
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
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
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
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
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...


Mar 18, 20223 min read
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...


Jan 13, 20222 min read
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...


Dec 21, 202112 min read
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....


Jun 30, 20215 min read
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
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
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...


Feb 9, 20215 min read
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...

NI Blog
Here you will find case studies, interviews, insights, and reflections from staff.

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