Do Details Matter? Why and How We Sanitize Our Stories
Session Type(s): Panel
Starts: Saturday, Jul. 18 4:30 PM (Eastern)
Ends: Saturday, Jul. 18 5:45 PM (Eastern)
Storytelling is an important, effective tool for activism. Sharing a personal narrative is powerful and should be done both effectively and carefully. Our panelists regularly use their lived experiences with sexual assault, abortion rights, teen parenting, mental health, poverty, trans rights, racial injustice, purity culture, and gender discrimination to educate and activate people in ways that statistics and research alone cannot. But every one of us holds details back for privacy, safety, self care and other reasons. This session will discuss how and why we edit our stories, how campaigns can utilize our narratives without exploiting them, and how the media should respectfully cover sensitive topics without resorting to voyeurism.
Follow THIS PANEL on social media using #StoryNN15 hashtag
Moderator
Katie Klabusich
Katie Klabusich a writer, reproductive justice activist, and media contributor. She regularly uses her personal narrative to combat stigma on abortion, mental health, nonmonogamy, and poverty.
She is the fill-in host for The Hal Sparks Radio Program, activism/social media director for Best of the Left Podcast, and a board member of The Clinic Vest Project. You can follow her at @Katie_Speak.
Panelists
Catherine Alonzo
Originally from the UK, I came to ASU to complete my Master’s degree in 2005 and have been here ever since. I am a founding partner of Javelina, a full-service campaign and public affairs firm, providing a full suite of professional consulting services—from cutting edge direct mail, to smart strategic planning and implementation. I also serve as Co-Chair of the Board of Directors for Equality Arizona, a statewide LGBT advocacy organization, and sit on the Board of Directors for Ben’s Bells, a non-profit focused on educating about the practice of intentional kindness. We just opened our Phoenix studio.
Other sessions: The Great Equalizer: Advancing the Cause of Civil Rights through Organizing
H Kapp-Klote
H Kapp-Klote is a writer, organizer, and media nerd from Kansas. They got into exploring the intersections between media and change-making in high school by running a queer youth radio show. They’re the digital and communications coordinator for GetEQUAL, a national grassroots LGBTQ network.
Gloria Malone
Gloria Malone is a writer, speaker, and social media and public campaign consultant. Gloria advocates and writes about politics, reproductive justice, and pregnant and parenting teens. She is a co-founder of #NoTeenShame and a member of Echoing Ida. You can follow her on twitter at @GloriaMalone
Other sessions: Beyond "Diversity": A New Model for Solidarity Across Causes and Identities
Wagatwe Wanjuki
Wagatwe Wanjuki is a national speaker on issues of activism, rape culture, feminism, gender, and racial justice who utilizes her personal narrative as a sexual assault survivor in her activism and writing. She successfully used storytelling during Know Your IX’s ED ACT NOW campaign to spur the creation of the White House Task Force to Protect Students from Sexual Assault. Her social media successes include creating conversations around sexual violence by creating hashtags like #SurvivorPrivilege and #TheresNoPerfectVictim. Her writing has appeared in outlets including Mic, ESSENCE magazine, American Prospect, and The New York Times. She currently serves as a staff writer for Upworthy.
Other sessions: Mitigating Media Mansplaining