In this episode of our newly launched Social Change Diaries Podcast, we dive into the question of how social change can use storytelling to change culture through narratives. The discussion features Bridgit Antoinette Evans, CEO of Pop Culture Collaborative, in conversation with Vanessa Wakeman, and explores the power of storytelling to tackle deeply held beliefs, language as a medium of cultural production, and navigating narrative oceans.

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In another engaging conversation, we tackle the question: What would narrative ecosystems look like if we could totally redesign who participates in crafting the story? In this important conversation, Vanessa is joined by Tracie Powell, CEO and Founder of The Pivot Fund, which works to shift power through equitable journalism funding by investing in independent community-led news organizations.

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Our first episode features the conversation between Vanessa and Dr. Safiya U. Noble, author of Algorithms of Oppression: How Search Engines Reinforce Racism, as she shares the impact of algorithmic injustice and how it shapes storytelling.

At no point in recent history has civil rights been so loudly at the forefront of everyday life, in multiple ways. The tidal wave of shared trauma ushered in by the Covid-19 pandemic and the recent slew of racially motivated murders presents glaring questions and implications around civil rights and how this moment can be a springboard for true systemic change. As an expert in policies, laws and all facets of civil rights, Ms. Lieberman discusses the implications of this time period, how it relates to other historical moments in civil rights and the myriad of nuances that comprise this complex, but powerful moment in human history.

In this episode, Global Press Founder, Cristi Hegranes, shines a powerful light on solutions to institutional, ingrained problems that underly today's news media. She outlines key differences between action driven reporting and its more informative, impactful alternative: consequence driven reporting. Learn why trained local journalists, equipped to provide precise narratives that accurately inform listeners, represent a pathway to truly educating people in a non biased way, about important global issues.

How nonprofits can successfully and efficiently secure corporate giving is a more important issue than ever before. This conversation with Becky Ferguson, VP of Global Philanthropy for pioneering powerhouse, Salesforce, provides key insights and concrete information for nonprofits to consider when strategizing, securing and sustaining corporate partnerships.

We kick off our 5th season with Rohit Talwar, the CEO of Fast Future, a UK based research and insights business that specializes in the fields of futures and foresight. In this dialogue, Rohit and Vanessa discuss the implications of the groundbreaking events that have occurred in the first half of 2020. In Rohit's words: "This has been quite a good rehearsal for how we prepare better for the future. Whether it's climate change, collapse of financial markets, radical breakthroughs in science and technology- we should now be more open to those things and more willing to think the unthinkable...Hopefully we broaden our lens, and start moving from talking about people being in positions of power to owning the fact that they're in positions of responsibility, walking the corridors of responsibility, and their real job is to exercise that responsibility to create a fairer, more inclusive, and more sustainable world for all."

Another must listen to episode from our Celebrity and Influencers season. For nonprofits looking to elevate their impact through communications and messaging, The Social Change Diaries provides a peek behind the curtain. In this episode, GLAAD's Chief Communications Officer, Rich Ferraro, shares "aha moments" and first hand experiences, including how GLAAD has evolved with the changing media landscape- partnering with today's influencers driving change, in a way that allows the org to indirectly mold the news cycle itself.

Today's episode was recorded live at the 2019 Hispanics in Philanthropy conference in Washington D.C. In this dialogue, VICE Media's, Paola Ramos, shares unusual insights that elevate our conversations this season about celebrity and influencers. She asserts that the true influencers making an impact are everyday people. This perspective helps us consider where the opportunity is for nonprofits to create the essential emotional connection with their audience, one by one, in order to propel change. How can organizations tell their stories in a way that highlights how much power there is in the individual. What would that outcome look like?

At the helm of Color Of Change, the largest online racial justice organization in the country, Rashad Robinson's reach and influence is undeniable. In this episode of the Social Change Diaries, Rashad reveals the core structure that makes Color Of Change so powerful. He talks about leading the successful campaign against credit companies who accepted money from hate groups- an effort that catalyzed everyday citizens into a powerful group of 1.4 million activists- and what celebrity and influence means from his vantage point