Narrative Power, Cultural Strategies, and New Civic Vision

On April 12, 2021, NOCD-NY and Arts & Democracy co-presented a peer learning exchange about how stories, narrative and cultural power can help create a just and liberatory vision for the future. Participants connected with peers from across the country and shared experiences.

The event was moderated by amalia deloney (Board Chair, Arts & Democracy) with presentations by Roberto Bedoya (Cultural Affairs Manager, City of Oakland); Claudie Mabry (Program Consultant, NOCD-NY); Masoom Moitra (Director of the Green Light District, El Puente); Nayantara Sen (Director of Programs and Cultural Strategies for Real Food Real Stories and Senior Fellow at the Pop Culture Collaborative); Rashid Shabazz (Executive Director, Critical Minded); and Gwendolyn Wilson (Director of Senior Services, Jacob A. Riis Neighborhood Settlement).

The discussion included community stories about public health, public safety, and sustainability; how narrative power shifts dominant narratives and advances racial justice; cultural strategies that forge a collective consciousness for transformative change; new civic narratives that further belonging and participatory democracy; the infrastructure and ecosystems needed to support this work.

Artwork by Kate DeCiccio, via Amplifier.org