Think Big Conversation: Shifting the Story of “Hard Work”
On February 27th, the Narrative Learning Community met to explore the fraught concept of hard work in the American narrative and to discuss promising paths forward. We shared lessons learned from our deep research across the South and Southern Midwest through the Topos/EARN-led Southern Mindshift Project and heard from partner advocates and organizers about their on-the-ground experiences. Check out […]
Think Big Community Coffee Chat: Join us on 12/14!
An informal conversation on BELONGING in and to America Thursday, December 14th, 2023 I 12-1pm EST I 9-10am PST Register Today At our convening last month we shared insights from our new research on the role of narrative incrafting a story of belonging in and to America—a future story untethered from white supremacy. We hope by […]
Reparations Narrative Lab: Research and Tools
The Reparations Narrative Lab – launched by Liberation Ventures – focuses on narrative and culture change to build public support for reparations. Take a look at the extensive research and tools created during the first iteration of the Narrative Lab — including narrative briefs, webinars, and framing worksheets. Access the research and tools
October Learning Community Meeting: Reimagining American Identity
New Research Shines Light on the Story of Who We Are and Can Be October 31st, 2023 I 12-1pm EDT I 9-10am PDT Imagine a future in which American identity is untethered from white supremacy — neither white supremacist nor centered around resisting white supremacy. Without forgetting the lessons of our past, this American identity […]
FrameWorks: The Terrain of Spatial Justice
Racism is built into places. It shapes who can live where, how resources are distributed, who gets a say over what happens in places, and more. Places in the United States reflect, perpetuate, and amplify the racism that structures US society. Creating a racially just society requires creating a spatially just society—a society that advances […]
Think Big: Abundance in Narrative
We often define abundance as a contrast. Abundance is NOT scarcity, NOT austerity, NOT competition for resources. So, then, what IS abundance? What are some of the core elements behind the term and the idea in narrative? What do these elements look like in practice? What are some of the inherent tensions? What do we […]
August Learning Community Meeting on ABUNDANCE Framing
From Scarcity to Abundance: A Think Big Narrative Learning Community Conversation Wednesday, August 16th I 4-5 pm EST, 1-2pm PST Save the date for our next Learning Community meeting on August 16th at 4pm EST! Together with Amanda Cooper, Senior Partner at Lightbox Collaborative, Laura Hughes, Director of Narrative Strategies at PolicyLink, and Elaine […]
If the federal government can’t pay its bills, then millions of Americans can’t pay theirs
The debt default stalemate is careening toward next week’s hard deadline. And while there has been solid coverage of the catastrophic consequences of the nation defaulting on its obligations, it’s worth highlighting the voices that are directly connecting the dots between communities’ wellbeing and the economy. For instance, Center for American Progress’ Jean Ross writes: […]
Topos: Acting On Our Values is Good Economics
Progressive economic policies that focus on people’s wellbeing can hit a brick wall (or at least a sturdy parapet) constructed by the current cultural common sense – the pervasive, default perspectives that shape our thinking in deep, often unconscious ways – about the economy. The dominant model of the economy in this country (which successfully […]
March Meeting: The Narrative Power of a People-First Economy
The Narrative Power of a People-First Economy March 30th, 2023 Recording coming soon! We the people, ALL the people, drive and shape the economy. The dominant economic narrative in America continues to center business – what businesses need to thrive, even if that means people must sacrifice. We’re switching the focus to […]
The Florida Timeline
Check out the Florida Timeline, a resource mapping state historical policy decisions in Tax Policy and Criminal (In)justice. From Florida’s earliest days, policymakers designed policies that targeted Floridians with the least legal and economic power – often Black Floridians. The timeline allows us to learn about and reckon with our past as we look to […]
Join us for a conversation with Angela Peoples and Connie Razza
Thursday, December 15th I 3-4:15pm EST REGISTER TODAY! Imagine a future in which American identity is untethered from white supremacy — neither white supremacist nor centered around resisting white supremacy. Without forgetting the lessons of our past, this American identity would create space for a fundamental reconstitution of the story of America to […]
October Meeting: Democracy and the Will of the People
Join us for our next Narrative Learning Community Meeting: Democracy and the Will of the People October 27, 2022 * 3-4:15pm ET | 12-1:15pm PT Register Today! With the midterms upon us, the stakes are undeniably high. This past year, state legislative sessions have been witness to a slew of election interference […]
Heather McGhee: The Sum of Us Podcast
Heather McGhee has launched a podcast on the heels of her incredible book: The Sum of Us: What Racism Costs Everyone and How We Can Prosper Together. Taking a road trip across Covid-era America, McGhee explores stories of “solidarity and hope in a time of great division and peril for our democracy.” Listen to the […]
NEA: An example of social math
Try your hand at social math. Data and facts, especially when they’re complicated, can prevent our core messages from breaking through. Social math can help – it’s a practice that uses easy to visualize comparisons to make large numbers comprehensible and compelling. Here’s an example from the NEA:
Frameworks Institute: How do other fields think about narrative? Lessons for narrative change practitioners
This report offers eight lessons about narrative—provided by luminaries in marketing and advertising, entertainment media/narrative arts, psychoanalysis, and technology—which can be applied to enrich narrative change work. Access the Report