This month: celebrating our work together, plus our Sundance Film Festival watchlist

At the Center of Our Work…is You

In December, we dug into our photo archives, pulled out the crafting supplies, and sat down with music to slow down and create, together. Our end-of-year collage was our way of saying thank you for all you’ve gifted us — from your time and brilliance to your donations.

For nearly 17 years, The Opportunity Agenda has researched and trained people in the power of narrative to create change. That’s what we do. But who we are, at our core, is a community of activists, advocates, and artists who understand that narrative and culture change require transformational ambitions.

While there’s no denying that the last few years have been tough, we’ve moved forward together. We organized and voted. We told our stories boldly in the media. We infused art and cultural strategies into our movements, painting a picture of what’s possible when our values—opportunity, safety, equity, voice, and community—lead our messages and movements.

Overcoming opposition narratives that exclude and divide us, which threaten our democracy and uphold white supremacy, will require deep culture change. So in 2023, we’re going deeper to create community spaces where we can do what we all do best: build the public imagination and cultural will to win a brighter future.

Download a high-resolution photo of our full collage to zoom in and enjoy the details. And stay tuned for some exciting announcements in the coming months. 

Sundance Film Festival: What to Watch

The Sundance Film Festival is in full swing, but the window for online streaming remains open from January 24–30. Single film tickets cost $20. To help you decide on your watchlist, we scoured the full program for films connected to our Creative Change community or that speak to our core values.

Co-produced and co-directed by Michèle Stephenson (‘17 Creative Change), “Going to Mars: The Nikki Giovanni Project,” is competing in the U.S. documentary category and features legendary poet Nicki Giovanni’s work. With an Afro-futuristic lens, the film “urges us to imagine a future where Black women lead, and equity is a reality.” Meet the artists behind this work and read the full description here.

Other films on our radar include:

• All Dirt Roads Taste of Salt: Tender caresses and enveloping embraces are portals into the life of Mack, a Black woman in Mississippi (narrative).
• Fancy Dance: What begins as a search gradually turns into a far deeper investigation into the complexities and contradictions of Indigenous women moving through a colonized world and at the mercy of a failed justice system (narrative)
• Going Varsity in Mariachi: In a South Texas high school auditorium, trumpets ring out, thick guitarrón strings thrum, and violin bow hairs snap and swing wildly through the air. This is the world of competitive scholastic mariachi (documentary).
• Beyond Utopia: A suspenseful look at the lengths people will go to gain freedom, Beyond Utopia follows various individuals as they attempt to flee North Korea (documentary).

Our FOMO kicked in a bit to see highlights from Favianna Rodriguez (‘11-13 Creative Change), Rashad Robinson (’09 & ’11 Creative Change), and Fawzia Mirza (’19 Creative Change) of the amazing conversations taking place at Sundance on the importance of representation and the power of cultural strategies. Congrats to all the artists and creatives whose work is being celebrated this year at Sundance!

Welcome Cecilia & Kate to Team TOA!

Cecilia Martinez joins the communications team to lead our media relations work, highlighting both staff and partners’ thought leadership with the press. Cecilia brings 12 years of communications experience and previously worked with the National Kidney Foundation, Columbia University Medical Center, and Saint Peter’s University. When not pitching reporters, Cecilia is an award-winning artist, avid animal lover, and proud parent to her son.

Kate Starks joins the Advancement team where she provides both programmatic and administrative support to our development and communications teams. Prior to TOA, Kate served as a paralegal to support clients secure release from our criminal legal and immigration systems, as well as find and maintain affordable housing. She enjoys dancing and juggling in her free time, which keeps her connected to local arts communities and the theater.

Image credits: The Opportunity Agenda, Denise Pines, The Opportunity Agenda, Travis Wise, Cecilia Martinez, Kate Starks

Engage in Justice!
Support The Opportunity Agenda with a contribution today.