PRESENTS
#black stories matter
AMPLIFYING VOICES. RAISING AWARENESS. TAKING ACTION.
2017 MEDIA KIT
You can’t hate someone whose story you know. —MARGARET J. WHEATLEY
TMI Project’s Mission, Vision and History TMI Project is a non-profit organization offering transformative memoir workshops and performances that invite storytellers and audience members to explore new perspectives. TMI Project envisions a world where true storytelling is an agent of change; where, through the sharing of radically candid, true, personal narratives, everyone—storytellers and listeners alike—can become empowered, release shame and stigma, and replace old understandings with new ones. We aspire to engender compassion, understanding and public awareness. We aim to incite social, legal, and political change by arming activists with the skills needed to be captivating storytellers, and by amplifying the voices of populations whose stories often go unheard. Through true storytelling, TMI Project focuses the spotlight on stories told by people from marginalized populations, humanizing issues often overlooked by mainstream media. We also focus on the work of emerging and veteran activists and leaders, to document the way they are changing the world, covering stories about challenges, hard work and progress; stories that may not be recognized in history books but need to be heard and recorded for future generations. Since 2010, TMI Project has led approximately 54 workshops and staged performances by more than 1,200 participants, which have been presented to audiences of nearly 14,000 people in schools, colleges, prisons, mental health clinics, theaters, community centers, and the United Nations. Our workshops and performances are tailored to women and men of all ages and backgrounds.
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Storytelling in Social Justice Movement Building Social movement building--and storytelling that facilitates it--are incredibly important at this moment in history. Around the world, there has been an increase in conservatism and divisiveness, both of which are threats to democracy, equality and diversity. As a result, social injustice, inequality, discrimination and related violence are on the rise. Key rights and tenets of a just society are in danger now, above all: women’s reproductive health and rights; the safety of immigrants and minorities; and basic civil rights for all, regardless of race, gender identity and sexual orientation.
The good news is that in response to all this, resistances are rising. Women, people of color, the LBGTQ community, immigrants, and allies of all stripes are joining ranks, standing up, and speaking truth to power, fighting for rights and justice for all. Movements take time, and because there is no one type of action that alone leads to affecting change, it’s necessary to be strategic, and employ a variety of approaches. Storytelling is an important strategic choice. Conveying the messages of a movement on a human level can be an incredibly efficient communication tool. More than studies and statistics and articles in the news, by fostering identification, storytelling has the power to open hearts and change minds. The ripple effect can be exponential, in the best cases transforming the minds of leaders, inspiring them to change their ideas, practices and policies.
#blackstoriesmatter â?˜ MEDIA KIT 3
#blackstoriesmatter #blackstoriesmatter is TMI Project’s way of making an impact in addressing incidents of hate, bigotry and racial injustice in our local community while also participating as an organization in the national outcry of injustice. In alignment with TMI Project’s mission to empower people and bring about change through true storytelling, #blackstoriesmatter seeks to raise awareness around issues of inequality and injustice through true storytelling and inspire people to take action while also using our digital platform to expose inequality and injustice rapidly and frequently and amplify the voices of those who have inspiring stories to share, about black people surviving--and thriving--in the Hudson Valley and throughout the United States. We aim to provide audiences the opportunity to listen, expand their awareness, possibly identify internalized racism or uncover unintentionally racists points of view. This heightened awareness will enable audience members to replace biased belief systems with informed knowledge, deepened compassion and an active commitment to work for justice for all. After each live performance, the audience will participate in a Q&A and community dialogue. We will also partner with local community action organizations, so all those inspired by the stories will have concrete ways to participate in post-show activism. 4 #blackstoriesmatter ❘ MEDIA KIT
I know the world is bruised and bleeding, and though it is important not to ignore its pain, it is also critical to refuse to succumb to its malevolence. We speak, we write, we do language. That is how civilizations heal. —TONI MORRISON
Racism is a personal issue that we cannot continue to hold at arm’s length. TMI Project’s mission with this campaign is to elevate the underrepresented stories of the black experience in America –the full spectrum–the triumphs, humor, beauty and resilience. The hardships and everyday humanity of living in a system intrinsically stacked against a unification of races, of people. We need to know each other on a human level to transcend this condition. —TAMEKA RAMSEY, TMI Project Board Member and Co-Chair of #blackstoriesmatter
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Offerings Workshops We customize our memoir writing and true storytelling workshops to meet the needs of the organizations we work with. We can tailor the amount of time (a day, a weekend, a week, once a week for ten weeks, etc.), the writing exercises, and the participants’ end product as needed. We can do the workshops: • In Person: We can travel, or organizations can come to us. • Online: Our courses can be administered remotely Live Performances Most of our workshops culminate in true storytelling performances, where each participant tells a story about 8-10 minutes in length. The performances can be seen: • In Person: We have staged performances in theaters, schools, churches, and other spaces. • Live Stream: Remote audiences can view the live performances via live stream, through Facebook or other sources. Digital Campaigns TMI Project is able to have a broad reach by making its stories available digitally using video, podcast and blog posts. Training the Trainer We can train facilitators from partner organizations in the TMI Project workshop method and methodology. Storytelling Tool-kits for Partner Organizations We have a toolkit for facilitators from partner organizations to host community workshops to create stories for submission for our online digital campaign
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Who We Partner With Strategic Coalition Building with Organizations: • • • • •
Offering Resources for Marginalized Populations Raising Awareness about Social Justice Issues Researching and Analyzing Social Justice Issues Supporting Grassroots Activists and Social Justice Leaders Taking Action / Inciting Change
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FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT: blackstoriesmatter@tmiproject.org Visit us at tmiproject.org See the live stream of #blackstoriesmatter on our Facebook page Follow us on Twitter Read Stories Submit a Story
TMI PROJECT • 721 BROADWAY, SUITE 110, KINGSTON NY 12401 • WWW.TMIPROJECT.ORG
TMI Project is a 501 (c)(3) nonprofit organization and all contributions are tax deductible to the maximum extent allowed by law.