Sonali Kolhatkar

Rising Up

The Power of Narrative in Pursuing Racial Justice

• Broschiertes Buch

Produktbeschreibung

"Even though people of color are fast becoming the majority population in the United States, the perspectives and privileges of white America still dominate our key narrative-setting institutions and industries. People of color, long shut out of mainstream news studios, Hollywood's writers' rooms, and executive suites, are rising up to advance new political and social narratives that center on racial justice and equity. In Rising Up: The Power of Narrative in Pursuing Racial Justice, award-winning broadcast journalist Sonali Kolhatkar delivers a back-pocket guide to racial justice narrative-setting. Kolhatkar focuses on shifting narratives in three spaces: news media, popular culture, and individual discourse. Drawing from her own life experiences as an Asian American woman and media maker of color, she highlights other journalists, writers, creators, educators, and social media influencers who refuse to remain marginalized and are dedicated to building a new culture to displace white supremacy. Kolhatkar carefully and passionately argues that narrative change is a critical step all Americans should engage in to prevent the country from falling further under the influence of false racist, far-right disinformation that leads to social polarization and political violence"--

Produktdetails

• City Lights Open Media
• Verlag: City Lights Books
• Seitenzahl: 156
• Erscheinungstermin: 27. Juni 2023
• Englisch
• Abmessung: 175mm x 127mm x 15mm
• Gewicht: 146g
• ISBN-13: 9780872868724
• ISBN-10: 0872868729
• Artikelnr.: 64528658

Autorenporträt

Sonali Kolhatkar is the host and producer of Rising Up with Sonali, a weekly television and radio program that airs on Free Speech TV and on Pacifica Radio station affiliates around the United States. Winner of numerous awards, including Best TV Anchor and Best National Political Commentary from the LA Press Club, she is currently the Racial Justice editor at Yes! Magazine and a Writing Fellow with the Independent Media Institute. Co-author of Bleeding Afghanistan: Washington, Warlords, and the Propaganda of Silence with Jim Ingalls, Kolhatkar is Co-Director of the Afghan Women's Mission. She resides with her husband and two sons in Pasadena, California.  Rinku Sen is the Executive Director of the Narrative Initiative, where she helps social justice movements develop the power to move ideas. Formerly the Executive Director of Race Forward and publisher of its award-winning news site Colorlines, Sen is the author of Stir it Up and The Accidental. She is Co-President of the Women’s March and serves on the boards of the Ms. Foundation for Women and the Foundation for National Progress. She resides in New York City.

Inhaltsangabe

ANNOTATED CONTENTS 
PREFACE 
I introduce myself to readers with a look at my racial, ethnic, and family
background, as well as my journalistic ethos, and how my work as a
broadcaster and writer is a part of the narrative shifting that furthers
racial justice. 
INTRODUCTION: Driving Like an Asian 
I share a personal experience where a racist stereotype about Asians
directly impacted me. This leads to an explanation of how racist narratives
affect people of color in devastating ways. I also define and explain what
narratives mean, with examples to illustrate narrative shifting, and how
the ultimate goal of racial justice narratives is equity. I also preview
each chapter for readers. 
ONE 
Faux News Vs. News That’s Fit to Print 
This first chapter is a critique of how right-wing media and corporate
media both serve to preserve and perpetuate racist narratives. I trace the
rise of racist media narratives from shock jock Bob Grant to Fox News’s
Tucker Carlson. I also analyze how establishment outlets like The New York
Times have often tolerated racist coverage, resisting for too long, labels
such as “racist” for openly xenophobic leaders like Donald Trump. Since the
racial justice protests of 2020, some media outlets have finally begun to
apologize for their racist coverage. 
TWO 
Independent Media Makers on the Front Lines 
This chapter illustrates why independent media have often been a
countervailing force against establishment media by centering racial
justice narratives in our coverage. For example, years before corporate
media “discovered” Patrisse Cullors, leader of Black Lives Matter, she was
a guest on my show. I also share the story of how independent media led the
fight against the dehumanizing term “illegals” to describe undocumented
immigrants in news coverage.  I also present a study in contrasts,
analyzing an NPR interview of sports writer Howard Bryant’s book versus my
own, more nuanced interview with Bryant. Finally, I showcase a podcast that
illustrates how racial justice activists are creating their own media. 
THREE 
White Hollywood’s Copaganda 
Television and film play a huge role in shaping race-based narratives. In
this chapter I focus on how scripted crime TV shows in particular
perpetuate false and racist narratives about police, even casting Black
actors to play cops on TV to confer innocence on law enforcement. Such
pro-police narratives—dubbed “copaganda”—are the direct consequence of
white domination in Hollywood’s writers’ rooms. I also summarize the myriad
stereotypes that Hollywood has perpetuated about people of color. 
FOUR 
Hollywood’s Changing Hues 
Filmmakers of color have forced their way into Hollywood and begun changing
race-based narratives to great effect in recent years. I showcase one of
the earliest such TV shows—Black-ish—and how it paved the way for a host of
new shows created by Black and Brown writers and showrunners. In film,
pioneering creators like Ave DuVernay and Ryan Coogler, have re-written the
rules of how people of color are portrayed. There are pitfalls however, in
the form of diverse casting to obscure racist stories, and the
appropriation of non-white cultures. Ultimately, Hollywood is changing,
thanks in part to campaigns like #OscarsSoWhite. 
FIVE 
Social Media and Collective Power 
I explore the digital phenomenon of Black Twitter and how new technology is
enabling people of color like Darnella Frazier in Minneapolis to bypass
gatekeepers and tell their own unfiltered stories of racial injustices. I
profile figures like #MeToo founder Tarana Burke, TikTok dance creator
Jalaiah Harmon, and TV writer Janet Mock, who have used digital technology
to assert their truths and shape narratives about Black women. Such
technology can also be a useful tool to hold powerful people accountable,
and “cancel” the careers of racist hatemongers. But digital platforms are
ultimately controlled by elites and are often guilty of algorithmic bias
toward racist narratives. 
SIX 
Changing Narratives, One Person at a Time 
There are person-to-person means of narrative shifting that can be
extremely powerful. I quote academics like Robin D. G. Kelley, Oriel Mária
Siu, and Yohuru Williams who discuss education and Critical Race Theory as
means for narrative shifting. I also profile Loretta Ross’s “Calling In”
courses that teach people how to reach allies without alienating them, and
how social scientists have studied an approach called “deep canvassing”
that is extremely effective in changing people’s minds about racism and
other social issues. 
CONCLUSION 
Rising Up for Our Stories, Our Lives 
I conclude the book with a personal story of how I was deeply moved during
a Black Lives Matter march in 2020 by a powerful vocal protest that gave
voice to a yearning for racial justice. The U.S. is in the midst of a messy
and profound change as the nation’s demographic shift is yet to be
reflected in the halls of power and of narrative-setting industries. I make
the case that narrative shifting without movement building is merely public
relations and that it must be an intimate part of organizing for racial
justice. 
EPILOGUE 
I close with a personal understanding of how white supremacy is often based
on an irrational fear of losing power as the U.S. heads toward a future
where white people are a minority. Ultimately, we can rise to a better
(racially just) future, together. 
RESOURCES 
A useful list of organizations, campaigns, and media outlets engaged in the
work of narrative shifting for racial justice.