Building Narrative Power for Equity and Solidarity

Please note: The purchase is for 12 months access to the on-demand version and resources

2:00pm to 3:30pm Eastern

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Communities and movements have always wielded the power of narratives—interwoven stories, messages, and images—to shift people’s hearts and minds. When we look back at landmark events and policies in our country’s history such as the abolition of slavery, the civil rights movement, and marriage equality, we see that narratives were at the heart of meaningful change.

But narrative works both ways.

Today, narratives of division and rugged individualism are wielded against our organizations and communities. Wedge narratives that pit us against each other have made it challenging to build collective action and solidarity. Narratives of fear have pushed our organizations away from the front lines of equity work while also isolating us from each other.

More than ever, we need narrative strategies that activate practices of solidarity, co-governance, and collective action toward justice across all of our work.

Join Nikko Viquiera and Sughey Ramírez of Race Forward for this webinar that will explore:

• defining narrative strategy as a tool to align your messages, stories, and communications
• how narrative alignment is critical in equity and solidarity work
• concrete examples that demonstrate how to effectively apply narrative tools and approaches

This session is for communicators, storytellers, artists, and all nonprofit and government staff who want to engage in narrative strategy to advance equity and solidarity in their work and communities.

Moderated by Jeanne Bell, Program Host, Leading Edge (NPQ) 

Presenters:

Nikko Viquiera is Race Forward’s Deputy Senior Vice President of Programs. In this role, they provide strategic direction and partnership to program leads working at the intersection of race and gender, governance, housing, mass criminalization, climate justice, and health. They lead Race Forward’s Program Central Department which houses Training Strategies, Evaluation and Research, Conferences and Convening, and Narrative and Cultural Strategies. As a member of Race Forward’s leadership team, they also play a key role in ensuring the organization’s efficacy, sustainability, and relevance to communities most impacted by structural racism.

Sughey Ramírez (she/they) serves as Narrative and Cultural Strategies Director at Race Forward. Previously, she held the role of Director of Cultural Strategies and Networks at The Opportunity Agenda, where she led the organization’s initiatives geared at supporting the role of arts and culture in narrative and culture shift, including the Creative Change retreat and the Culture and Narrative Fellowship for socially engaged artists and creatives. Over the years, through positions in community-based participatory research, strategy, development, and community outreach, they have worked with public- and private-sector leaders in a creative capacity to advance issues such as health equity, affordable housing, immigrant rights, and racial justice.