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Photo by Bill D'Agostino
Photo by BillKoplitz
On Race—In early 2009, the Center for Media Justice played a pivotal role in the organizing
efforts surrounding the police murder of Oscar Grant, a young black man on his way home from a New Year’s party in Oakland, California. Our communications team helped change the story with tested strategies and a new narrative on race.
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On Youth—You know the official story: Prisons are full of young people of color because they are violent, make poor choices and lack proper role models and stable families. Media coverage tells us our safety depends on getting “tough on crime.” To change the story on youth and race, CMJ is partnering with networks, alliances and groups working to bring accountability to the criminal justice system.
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On Media—In public debate, the U.S. media has been framed as a watchdog of power, a vehicle for democratic participation and governance, and a means to connect with a world and communities beyond our own. However, the voices, policy priorities, and visions of communities of color and poor people have oft been systemically pushed to the margins of debate.
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"Through media, we learn about race and racism, about poverty and what we deserve in terms of jobs, housing, health care. We learn about migration and about the rest of the world. Through media we learn how to govern, what kinds of economic systems work or don’t, and to define the limits of what’s possible. George Clinton, the P-Funk superstar, said (I’m paraphrasing), 'Whoever controls the news shapes our destiny.' We must fight for our media, as well as use it strategically to transform the worldview that supports structural racism, an undemocratic democracy, corporate control and global inequity, and the devolution of cities and public institutions."
Sponsored by the Center for Media Justice, the Consumer’s Union and newly sponsored by the Media and Democracy Coalition, Knowledge Exchange, will bring together 20 grassroots media activists, national advocacy groups, academics, and beltway policy advocates to exchange ideas, deepen relationships, and develop best practices and collaborative strategies to advance a national plan for universal broadband access and deployment. Taking place in Washington, D.C., September 21-24, 2009, the convening will feature presentations on the broadband stimulus package, digital inclusion dialogues, discussions on race and related equity issues, a landscape of current legislation on broadband and the Internet, and more. Participants are movement leaders who will address movement challenges, and develop winning strategies for media policy change from the grassroots to the beltway!
Oversight or coverup? BART police Chief Gary Gee, left, announces Jan. 12 that the transit agency completed its investigation into the Jan. 1 shooting death involving an officer. Gee said only the shooter was being investigated, but an amateur video, inset left, shows that another BART officer may have punched Grant before he was killed.
Training and PR Services
The Center for Media Justice is a leader in change-based communications services for organizations and campaigns across the country. Through our robust resource library and training services, organizers and grassroots policy advocates have placed new and innovative stories about racial and economic justice, and sharpened their campaigns with strategies and tools for everything from building relationships with journalists to creating great press events.
By strengthening communications infrastructure and developing full-scale communications strategies with stakeholders, we create new narratives on race, justice, and citizenship.
How can we help change your story?
Posted November 20th, 2009
As I sit against the florescence of the television screen, watching the conservative Fox News pundit Glenn Beck drive political nails into progressive leaders using the fear of U.S. blacks and immigrants of color as his hammer, my memory harkens back to the year in which the book Push was set, 1987. During that time,
The Center for Media Justice is a media strategy and action center that uses strategic communications and media activism to build a powerful movement for racial justice, economic equity, and human rights. Through two long-term strategic initiatives, CMJ strengthens the communications effectiveness of grassroots groups and builds a powerful, integrated movement for media justice and communication rights.
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