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News from the Future of Public Media
The Alliance for Justice – Changing the Face of Social Justice Advocacy
email discuss Posted by Bree Bowman on Mar 3, 2008 at 1:00 PM
For almost 15 years, the Alliance for Justice has been using cutting-edge new media strategies to engage the public to advance the cause of social justice, civil rights and public empowerment – long before these tools became a part of our daily lives. Last week, the Center for Social Media welcomed Nan Aron, president of the Alliance for Justice, and filmmaker Glen Pearcy for a public lecture to discuss his newest film, Supreme Injustices and related digital outreach strategies.
The film tells the stories behind two recent controversial Supreme Court cases addressing the legacy of Brown v. Board of Education, and Ledbetter v. Goodyear Tire, which represents one woman’s fight for equality in the workplace. Supreme Injustices shows the hold that the Supreme Court has over the lives of Americans and is an example of how nonprofits can support and produce media that puts a human face on larger, complex issues.
The film is a part of the Alliance’s First Monday Films program, a series of short, 13-minute pieces that serve as a centerpiece for a discussion or debate of larger problems. Aron and Pearcy presented clips from other film and web animation campaigns that the Alliance uses to educate students and the public on social justice issues, ranging from equal housing to gun laws.
The films represent only one piece of the organization’s advocacy strategy. Aron commented that, “[t]he distribution is more important even than the producing,” emphasizing the importance of forming outreach partnerships and organizing around the issues that the films raise to generate serious discussion. The Alliance has partnered with law schools throughout the country and with other advocacy organizations like the Center for American Progress to screen and discuss the films. In addition, the Alliance’s Justice Watch blog, an interactive Grassroots Lobbying tool and other online tools provide the public with opportunities to respond to these stories and to become agents for change.
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