At Resource Media, we are co-creators for the social change we want to see – greater health, justice, equity, and sustainability for people and the planet.
I joined Resource Media in autumn 2020, and have been energized to work alongside a team which has evolved and grown in such inspiring ways amidst the ongoing pandemic. The story of Resource Media is rooted in working for the greater good and doing so collaboratively, with a keen sense toward reflecting the breadth and diversity of our communities. As we’ve started a new chapter of our story, we are also on a new path of our equity journey — one that has resulted in the growth of our organization to a majority of staff of color.
Today, we are a BIPOC- and women-led organization with a majority-BIPOC executive team, a majority-BIPOC staff, and a majority-BIPOC manager cohort. Our commitment to equity has transformed our internal culture and focused our practice on anchoring equity in all the work we do in the field and how we as a team and organization operate. Because we understand it’s not just what we do that matters, but how we do it, too.
I am privileged to lead this group of dedicated and passionate communicators and to work with leaders committed to making a positive impact. During these past few years, we have seen the true power of communications to move people. We have witnessed communities come together to stand up for their rights, health, prosperity, and dignity. We have been honored to join forces with individuals and groups that have come together to realize collective impact to achieve more, together, such as:
- Working alongside Navajo community-environmental organizations in their monumental effort to close the Navajo Generating Station coal-fired power plant that was harming the community.
- Co-leading a multicultural COVID vaccination effort and producing over 20 different videos in partnership with influencers most connected to their communities that increased vaccination rates in the communities most impacted by COVID.
- Elevating Latine community members’ stories in southern California regarding the personal impacts of climate change and pollution, and the need for transportation solutions that protect public health and improve economic prosperity.
- Funding and providing grassroots and BIPOC communities nationally with communications support to address vital issues through our Equity Impact Program.
With one year down in my role as Executive Director, I'm even more optimistic about the years ahead and the collaborative change we will create. We couldn’t do this without you, and we look forward to the new year together.
The events of the last couple of years have been a wake-up call toward collective action. We learned the power of the collective “we” is strengthened when we develop new narratives that follow a shared journey over the singular hero. The collective narrative centers our collaborative efforts, our struggles and successes, and demonstrates our united vision for the future.
As conveners, we have equipped communities with information and tools to build a more equitable energy future, eliminate harmful pollutants, and bring to life the stories of those most impacted by inequality and racism. We partner with advocates to convene communities to lead in solving the issues we face at the local and global scale.
Architecture 2030 and global building industry leaders came together to issue a call to action to world governments at COP26 to step up their commitments to eliminate carbon emissions that harm people and the planet.
Bridging the information divide in Philadelphia, PA
RESOLVE PHILLY
Philadelphia residents struggling to be heard and get information from official channels now have a free text line connecting them to real people in their community who can help them navigate challenging issues such as: how to fight evictions, where and when to vote, and provide general support for getting by and getting ahead through the Equally Informed Philly SMS text service.
Resource Media worked with Resolve Philly’s Black, Latine, and Chinese community leads to create and launch the Equally Informed brand, help develop the service, connect community members with local decision makers and media, and create multicultural campaigns in English and Spanish around votingand COVID preparedness as an act of neighborly care.
Cracking down on pollution from oil refineries in Northern California
The California Endowment
Frontline communities in Richmond, California, claimed a hard-fought win in July 2021 when Bay Area regulators voted to require Chevron and PBF Energy to reduce emissions from two of their oil refineries’ “cat cracker” units by 70 percent. We partnered with Communities for a Better Environment (CBE) to activate our “dump your toxic ex” narrative, which we had previously co-created with CBE and other environmental justice organizations in collaboration with the Center for Story-Based Strategy. Bolstered by this compelling narrative, we used digital engagement and media outreach to make the case that Richmond should end its toxic relationship with Chevron’s oil refinery, among the largest in the state and one of California’s top polluters. The narrative was carried by environmental justice groups in California throughout 2020 and 2021.
Together, we approach every challenge with the recognition that it is multilayered, nonlinear, complex, intersectional, and ever-evolving. When we embrace complexity and intersectionality, we become more agile and compassionate problem-solvers.
By adapting to these complexities and interconnections, we have provided targeted and relevant social media and technological tools as well as critical resources to advocates, elevated the danger of life-threatening governmental policies and corporate practices, and reached thousands of people during economic–and pandemic–related shutdowns.
When COVID hit, we helped connect the dots between exposure to air pollution and the increased risk of infection and death for Black vs. white Americans.
Overcoming COVID vaccine disparities in King County, WA
Public Health, Seattle & King County
Across the U.S., COVID has taken an unequal toll on communities of color and information about the virus and vaccines in languages other than English has been lacking. The Seattle/King County public health department (PHSKC) sought to overcome these inequities by developing a multicultural communications campaign to reach communities with the highest rates of vaccine disparity. As part of our work with the department, we produced 20 different videos with community members, as well as social media graphics and digital and display ads in English, Spanish, Chinese, Vietnamese, Russian, Punjabi, Amharic, Tigrinya, and Swahili – all aimed at reducing vaccine hesitancy among these communities. The “Why Now?” campaign complemented PHSKC’s vaccine delivery programs, and resulted in 86 percent of eligible residents ages 12+ being fully vaccinated. Vaccination rates are near parity among 78 to 80 percent of African American, Latine, and white residents fully vaccinated as of the end of December 2021.
Centering frontline communities in California’s clean energy future
Regenerate CA
California is making great strides phasing out fossil fuels in buildings, cars, and energy generation. But to truly untangle itself from dirty energy in a just and equitable manner, the state must directly support communities that are impacted first and worst by fossil fuel use. For years, environmental justice advocates in California have been fighting for a just transition to clean energy that prioritizes frontline communities. We had the honor of working with many of these advocates with the creation and launch of RegenerateCA - a campaign calling on state lawmakers to retire, replace, and refuse the development of gas-fired power plants near frontline communities, and invest in a clean energy economy that works for everyone.
As people get lost in the chaos of conflicting information, we find opportunities to cut through the noise and streamline key messages. Obstacles can serve as a catalyst for transformation: a chance to re-write the rules by inviting diverse perspectives and exploring new digital approaches.
Innovative thinking has allowed us to mobilize the hardest to reach and most impacted communities with messages that move their hearts and minds, and we have helped galvanize frontline communities to make policy changes that save lives.
When COVID hit and more families were homebound and using more energy, we developed an animated video to raise awareness about the need for equitable energy service.
Helping people navigate their reproductive rights
If/When/How
Now more than ever, pregnant individuals and supporting advocates need a safe and confidential source of information about their legal rights on safely self-managing an abortion at home, what the judicial bypass option is, and how to seek legal support if they are criminalized for exercising their reproductive rights. We were fortunate to partner with If/When/How: Lawyering for Reproductive Justice to develop and launch an ambitious nationwide, multicultural, creative marketing campaign to promote its legal helpline website and call center. Our robust, multilingual campaign in English, Spanish, and Chinese portrayed the helpline as a connection between the user and If/When/How’s compassionate legal counsel, and part of the puzzle that users must piece together as they weigh their options. Our ads created for this campaign have had over 46.5 million impressions so far.
Exposing the dangers of gas to promote electrification in California
Energy Media - Aliso Canyon
In October 2015, a major leak at SoCalGas’ Aliso Canyon gas storage facility caused innumerable health impacts on nearby community members and drove people from their homes. This is the same type of gas that is used today in homes throughout California for heating and cooking and that has been proven to be harmful to public health. To support the ongoing effort of our California partners to rid the state of polluting gas, we worked with with Sunstone Strategies and LA-based film company, Transit Pictures, to create a video that recounted the Aliso Canyon story told by impacted residents to raise awareness that the dangers of gas won’t end until our society adopts the reasonable solution of electrification.
We are a national organization engaged in communications work from coast to coast, and in some international settings as well. Our staff is spread out across the country, with presence in Atlanta, Boulder (CO), Bozeman, Chicago, Denver, Huntington (WV), Kalispell, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Oakland, Philadelphia, Portland (OR), Miami, Nashville, San Diego, Seattle, and Washington DC.
Our work is in service of building a more just, healthy, and sustainable world, and we love working alongside partners to support equitable change. Creating a better society for all is an ever-evolving process, and it’s a vital time to invest in communications for social change. We invite you to join us on this journey.
LET'S CONNECT
To learn more about Resource Media and to get involved with communications for change, visit our website at resource-media.org. You can also subscribe to our newsletter, follow us on Twitter @RMedia, donate to our organization, or contact us at info@resource-media.org.
This report was designed in 2022 with design expertise from Christine Chang. To view our past Impact Reports, visit resource-media.org/impact-reports. To download the PDF of this report, click here.