City by City, Block by Block, We’re Reclaiming the Narrative.

The Narrative Justice Project is a tactical response to the continual misrepresentation and under-representation of people of color in the media. Through this community initiative, people of color around the country will have access to free media training, via in-person and online learning sessions. Participants will learn how to effectively tell their stories to the media. This skillset is especially crucial during this time of crisis in communities around the country.

The recent racially motivated murders of Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, and George Floyd underscore the need for families and communities to tell stories and reshape the way people of color are depicted in the news. We’ve seen a continuous pattern of biases through which victim-blaming and false perceptions adversely affect and sway public opinion about people of color.

Media representation of Black and Brown people is rife with racial undertones and negative stereotypes that undermine communities of color. This destructive distortion of the actual narrative of human beings is a grave injustice. It damages the impression of people of color, creating a negative ripple effect, with deep and broad consequences. 

Paradoxically, while the most negative stories tend to make media headlines, many stories are left untold, and communities are silenced. In addition, research shows that stories of injustices towards Native Americans and Asians are often absent from media reports.

The common thread among media portrayals of people of color reflects imbalance and injustice.

We continually see one-sided stories weaponizing race as the reason for acts of violence or mistreatment. These patterns create a continuous cycle of trauma and fatigue. The Narrative Justice Project empowers people of color to own their narratives, allowing our humanity to be seen. 

The Narrative Justice Project collaborates with communities to reclaim the narrative, block by block. We see this act of empowerment as a critical opportunity to shift the media landscape.

The Narrative Justice Project is available as 2 ½ hour in-person or 75-minute online training sessions. Participants will learn how to:

1. Effectively participate in a media interview 
2. Gain the attention of the media for a specific crisis or challenge in the community
3. Keep an issue in the news
4. Identify the key messages and facts to share with the media

As a social change agency that works with communities of color on a full breadth of social issues, The Wakeman Agency is uniquely positioned to empower communities to own their stories. As one of the only social change agencies led by a black woman, we bring a profound passion for equality and expertise to our communications and public relations work.

There is power in our voices and our stories deserve to be told.

*The Narrative Justice Project is supported by The Consortium on Trust in Media and Technology at the University of Florida’s College of Communications and Journalism.