Narrative Shift for Movement Building

IPMF believes that narratives shape people’s understanding of their world and their interactions with others and the institutions around us. Powerful narratives underlie Philadelphia's history of persistent racial injustice and economic inequalities. 

We seek to counter these harmful narratives while advancing narratives that support movements that challenge systemic oppression, build collective power, and shape policies reflecting holistic, collective needs. We will do this by supporting:

• Media making for social justice movement building in the region.
• Dismantling of policing and prison narratives that perpetuate harm in, and incarceration of, BIPOC communities.
• Reforms intended to change journalistic practices to address media harm.

Examples of this work include:

• Resolve Philly, a unique journalism organization built on equity, collaboration among multiple media properties, and the elevation of community voices and solutions.
• Amistad Law Project, a public interest law firm and organizing project working to end mass incarceration in Pennsylvania through creative narrative interventions.
• Shift the Narrative, a coalition spearheaded by Movement Alliance Project, Free Press, and the Media, Inequality & Change (MIC) Center to change the narratives around violence, crime and safety in local media. The three organizations are conducting research (MIC Center), leading community organizing and community media making (Movement Alliance Project), and supporting newsroom collaboration between journalists and community members (Free Press) to build a model in which communities can harness the power of media to create their own narratives.

See our glossary for definitions of terms we use to describe our work