There are so many things to learn about conveying a message. One aspect is who is conveying the message. Ethnic media outlets clearly represent the voice of different communities—a trusted source for information. The information they disseminate is culturally competent and presented in a linguistically appropriate way to reach their audience.

As we listened to the facts about why citizenship is so important for new Americans, the true impact came from hearing the stories of people personally affected by this issue. It was humbling hearing from a Sudanese single mother of four who was widowed by the violence she fled. She spoke passionately about the value of being able to call herself a citizen and vote  having a voice in a democracy for the first time in her life.

I saw how important it is to lift up the stories of those who are truly impacted by an issue and not speak for them. New America Media supports local independent newspapers and radio stations that help share these stories with the larger community.

Now it’s your turn, how are you uplifting stories rather than creating your own narrative about others? What is your source of information? And are you supporting those outlets that bring together the voice of the community?

Leanne Rubenstein 
Executive Director
Compassionate Atlanta