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ComNet 2020 offers great New Year’s resolutions for communicators in 2021
From the pandemic, to racial justice movements, to massive changes in local races, the presidency and the Supreme Court, 2020 was a year of devastation, but one that reminded us of all the weak structures in our country that need bold changes. Social justice leaders continued...
ComNet, the South, and us: Three things we can learn from southern organizers
2020 is officially (and thankfully) behind us, but the work that last year left us remains. Beyond the persistent uncertainty of COVID-19 and the shift towards action to address systemic racism, as we began the new year, we still had two items left in the 2020 electoral season...
Spitfire condemns white supremacists’ assault on democracy, joins calls to remove Trump and GOP leaders from office
In acts of violent domestic terrorism, white supremacists gathered in our nation’s capital, and a mob of extremists illegally entered the U.S. Capitol in a continued attempt – led by Donald J. Trump – to change the results of the presidential election and disrupt the peaceful...
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How to Communicate with Staff After Election Day
There’s no question that 2020 has been a year unlike any other. From the enduring impact of COVID-19 and racism to the relentless vitriolic and divisive political discourse, this year feels like a bad dream that’s impossible to wake up from any time soon. We’re also facing the...
Keep Me Posted: Standing Up to Anti-Blackness in Tech
Even though public criticism of the biases baked into technology is becoming more commonplace, public interest technologists have been making the connection between critical race theory and tech for decades. “The idea that technology can change your life and in a way that you don...
Keep Me Posted: Our New Podcast’s Second Episode Drops Today!
“In order to try to transform the systems of oppression that we're facing, we have to be willing to be transformed in the work.” This is just one snippet of wisdom imparted by Hannah Sassaman, policy director for the Movement Alliance Project (MAP) in Philadelphia, during our...
Introducing… Keep Me Posted: A New Podcast from Spitfire
It’s true that technology has the power to foster connection, community, learning and promote equity and justice. But it can also easily be used as a tool for surveillance, division, discrimination and to amplify inequality. At Spitfire, we have the distinct pleasure of...
Communicating Ch-Ch-Changes
Best idea ever, or what were they thinking? Communications may be the deciding factor. Let me start with an understatement: We are in the midst of massive change. Globally, as a nation, organizationally and individually. For organizations, the change can be exhilarating, opening...
See What You Mean
Close your eyes. Note what you see when you think of a peaceful protest demanding racial justice. What comes into your mind when you think about nature? What do you see when you hear the words community and family? Now open your eyes. What did you see? Words? Likely not. Pictures...
Building Movements Through Art, Communication and Advocacy
Power is invisible. That’s part of what makes it tricky to dismantle. Audre Lorde asks us, “What are the words you do not yet have?” – a rallying cry to move from silence to speaking the truth of our experiences. For me, art across time and mediums has played a significant role...
Many of your Black co-workers and friends are not okay right now: Here’s what you can do
Many of my white friends and colleagues reached out over the past week to check in on me. They saw George Floyd die pinned beneath Minneapolis police officers’ knees and read how the Louisville police used a no-knock warrant to execute Breonna Taylor. They saw Ahmaud Arbery’s...
In a Time of Scarcity, We Need Narratives of Abundance
As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to spread, people are feeling a lot of emotions right now, all at once. There is uncertainty in our day-to-day lives, concern over the future and fear for the health, safety and livelihood of our families, friends, neighbors and selves. It’s...