From Independence to Interdependence: Building the Conditions for Collective Agency in the Next 250 Years
On July 8th, Think Big Alliance hosted a community conversation on building the conditions for collective agency in the next 250 years.
Author Archive for: Shanta Farrington
Entries by Shanta Farrington
How Organizations Can Partner with Artists to Bring Narrative to Life
On June 10, Think Big hosted an online conversation about how communicators, advocates, organizers, and narrative strategists can partner with artists and use creative approaches to bring narrative strategy to life.
Community Conversation: In the Hands of the People (November 2025)
In November, we gathered to grapple with a big question: Can the 250th be our moment to tell an authentic, hopeful American story that celebrates and honors our progress toward equality, freedom, and opportunity while igniting the will to keep striving for a nation that truly fulfills these founding ideals?
A community conversation with the Trans Agenda for Liberation Narrative Lab (October 2025)
In October, we invited the Trans Agenda for Liberation Narrative Lab to share research and resources that help us speak up boldly and effectively for trans lives — in our homes, neighborhoods, and communities. Below, you’ll find the recording of our October community conversation, which offers heartfelt guidance and practical strategies. Click on the image […]
Community Conversation: Uplifting a Community Story of the Benefits of Unions (May 2025)
In our May 2025 Community Conversation, we shared exciting new research from Topos that focuses both on community support for unionization efforts AND on how the current momentum behind these efforts can spark a broader community conversation about a people-first economy. The research reveals a powerful opportunity: communities already hold values and beliefs that support […]
Community Conversation: America @250 – Shaping a Story of Belonging (March 2025)
On March 19, 2025, the Think Big Narrative Learning Community gathered for a timely conversation on how to shape inclusive, forward-looking narratives about what it means to be American. With the nation’s 250th anniversary approaching in 2026, participants explored both the risks of exclusionary patriotism and the opportunity to redefine national identity in a way […]
Community Conversation: Beyond Blame: The Role of Villainy (February 2025)
On February 27, members of the Think Big Narrative Learning Community came together for a rich discussion on the role of villains and villainy in persuasive storytelling. Co-hosted with Topos Partnership, the session explored what social science research reveals about when and how to include villains in narrative — and why simply naming bad actors […]
Community Conversation: Amplifying Community Voices for Lasting Change (January 2025)
In January 2025, the Think Big Narrative Learning Community came together to explore how state-level advocates in Alabama and Maine are weaving big-picture narratives into organizing, communications, and leadership development. Ben Chin (Maine People’s Alliance), Anneshia Hardy (Alabama Values), and Chris Sanders (Alabama Arise) shared how their organizations are training and empowering local leaders to […]
Community Conversation: Helping Audiences Envision a Positive Future (even when it’s hard) (October 2024)
Think Big teamed up with experts at the Topos Partnership to dig into what the social science research can tell us about how we can help our audiences break out of the doom loop. On October 24th, we discussed the research findings and talked through what this research means for our own work across issue […]
Case Study: Developing Emerging Opinion Leaders in Maine
A key challenge to advancing a progressive worldview is the lack of representation of everyday people, particularly those impacted by racial, economic, and gender injustices, as recognized opinion leaders. The Maine People’s Resource Center (MPRC), in partnership with the Maine Beacon—a news website and podcast—has been working to address this gap by elevating underrepresented voices and cultivating opinion leadership among everyday Mainers.
Case Study: Empowering Voices for Change in Alabama
For too long, the narrative in Alabama has disempowered everyday people, but Think Big Alabama – a 2024 advocacy and narrative training program – aimed to change that. This four-part program, a collaboration between Alabama Arise and Alabama Values, equipped community members with the tools to drive change by addressing critical issues that matter most to them – like poverty, healthcare, and transportation.
Community Conversation: Exploring the Power and Potential of Well-Being Narratives (May 2024)
Well-being frameworks – approaches that set individual and community well-being as the definition of progress – are gaining traction (albeit slowly) in other countries. What can we learn from these efforts and from the research and message testing around advancing well-being narratives? How could aligning with these narratives advance many of our priority issues? These […]
Webinar: Beyond Bootstraps and Hustle (February 2024)
In February 2024, the Narrative Learning Community hosted a conversation on the fraught role of “hard work” in American culture. It’s an idea that is about much more than work. It’s a cultural value central to the story many Americans tell about themselves and about others. Problematically, it can trigger harmful mindsets about deservingness and, […]
Webinar: Reimagining American Identity (October 2023)
The Narrative Learning Community hosted a conversation on the role of narrative in shaping a more inclusive American identity. Angela Peoples, Co-Founder and CEO of The South, and Connie Razza, Executive Director of SEJ, joined Elaine Mejia of the Topos Partnership to explore insights from the new report, Belonging In and To America: Exploring Who […]
Webinar: From Scarcity to Abundance (August 2023)
The Think Big Narrative Learning Community gathered in August of 2023 for a deep dive into the current state of abundance framing in narrative strategy. Featuring Amanda Cooper (Lightbox Collaborative), Laura Hughes (PolicyLink), and Elaine Mejia (Topos Partnership), the conversation explored how abundance and scarcity show up in real-world conversations — from canvassing to […]
Webinar: The Narrative Power of a People-First Economy (March 30th, 2023)
On March 30, 2023, the Narrative Learning Community came together to discuss the narrative dynamics shaping how Americans think about the economy — and how we can reframe it to put people first. Featuring insights from Lindsay Owens (Groundwork Collaborative), Dana Balter (Citizen Action of New York), and Isaiah Bailey (Topos Partnership), the session highlighted […]
Webinar: Crafting a New American Identity (December 15, 2022)
In December of 2022, the Narrative Learning Community welcomed Angela Peoples and Connie Razza of The Bridge Project to discuss their Reframing the Prevailing American Narrative for 2052 report — a destination narrative that envisions who we want to become as a nation in three decades, and how today’s work can help create space for […]
Webinar: Democracy and Public Will (October 27, 2022)
In October 2022, the Narrative Learning Community gathered to explore a key question for progressive communicators: How do we win today’s fights while advancing a long-term vision of a just and equitable America? The session featured insights from Topos’ research on “public will” framing and how Americans view government and current threats to public control. […]
Think Big Kickoff Meeting (June 2nd, 2022)
The Think Big Narrative Learning Community proudly launched on June 2nd, 2022, bringing together local, state, and national advocates across issue areas to think big, learn together, and share strategies for using narrative to drive change. Together with our guest speakers, we began unpacking the question: What does it mean to “Think Big” in this […]