A Tribute to Wanjiku
Where MobLab is today represents the passionate commitment of all who have been part of the MobLab network’s fabric of founders and network-builders, including one who is sadly no longer with us. During the chaos of the pandemic, we received news of the passing of Wanjiku Kamau, one of our strongest and most determined colleagues.Even as we grieved for Wanjiku, as well as the many other tremendous losses our societies have suffered through 2020 and 2021, members of the Collective have held together as a strong team, and kept the vision alive. We continued to offer campaign design workshops and trainings developed over the past years, and have even been iterating and developing new offerings in response to the changing context. Wanjiku’s fighting spirit and unwavering sense of justice was present in everything she did, including to keep MobLab’s work alive. She did not let a single one of us lose hope or stop fighting, and as we take MobLab’s work forward, we do so in her honor.
– From all of us at MobLab Collective
People Power
- Mexico’s feminist movements have led to this historic moment.Stephania Taladrid writes: “After a brief moment of deliberation, the ten justices voted unanimously to decriminalize abortion. That evening, a nearly minute-long earthquake rippled through Mexico. Some, including Hernández, took it to be a sign of the ruling’s implications in the world’s second-largest Catholic country. “Today,” she told her colleagues, “is a historic day for all of us.”” [The New Yorker]
- It’s hard to miss the generation and gender gap on climate action. Young women have been leading the climate protests outside of #COP26 in Glasgow and The New York Times reported on the stark difference between their action and leadership and the older male leaders running most of the conference. In general, the lack of civil society representation at #COP26 is a threat to its legitimacy and capacity for real change in global climate policy. [The New York Times, The Guardian]
- Author Hahrie Han talks with Ben Chin of Maine People’s Alliance about her new book Prisms of the People and why base building is critical to navigating changing power dynamics over the long haul. “Power doesn’t give up power easily” – understanding people power dynamics and psychology is increasingly urgent. [The Forge]
Listening and Learning Within the Human Rights Field
- After significant and sustained internal organizing after allegations of institutional racism and criticism of apathetic senior management to industry standard pay and contracts during the pandemic, Change.org workers unionized, considered an important win in the tech sector. As a mission-driven social organization, Change.org has also been forced to reckon with the resounding implications of a racial justice movement within the human rights field. Recently, Change.org has announced that they are now 100% nonprofit owned. As the single largest human rights tech platform, it will be important to see the continued impact of unionized Change.orgemployees and the organization’s direction for years to come. [NPR, Change.org]
- Fós Feminista is a newly renamed alliance of more than 135 organizations worldwide focused on sexual and reproductive healthcare and activism. Formerly known as the International Planned Parenthood Federation Western Hemisphere Region (IPPFWHR) and carrying forward the work and partnerships of CHANGE, the International Women’s Health Coalition, and IPPFWHR, the rebranded alliance represents a concerted effort and overall trend of shifting from an INGO branding to one that looks and feels more like a international feminist coalition. [Fós Feminista]
- Many social justice organizations think that they have to build digital tools from scratch, but The Engine Room has created this resource to show that there are many alternative paths in choosing and building digital tools for social justice work. They discuss tool re-use, a checklist to ask whether tool building is needed, and other resources. [The Engine Room]
Narrative & Storytelling
- What really is narrative organizing? Rachel Weidinger writes: “Narrative organizing is the act of building, creating and using narrative to shift power towards justice, equity and democracy. Narrative without organizing is a collection of observations and stories. Narrative without organizing leaves narrative power to others. When we bring alignment, polyvocality, and community leadership to narrative work we are organizing people to hold and exert narrative power.” [Narrative Initiative]
- How to make your storytelling more intersectional. Applying the Black feminist prism of intersectionality to storytelling, this collectively written article provides some pointers, such as explicitly visibilizing race and racism in stories about people of color, and including historical, cultural, political, geographical, and economic context that shape the storyline. [Stanford Social Innovation Review]
- Amy Westervelt is an award winning environmental journalist, specializing in combating disinformation, and has just launched Rigged, dedicated to uncovering the deep narrative strategies and tactics the fossil fuel industry has used for decades. Rigged is a database that is a series of pieces charting the landscape, offering a glossary of disinformation techniques, profiles of the (anti-)heroes of the business, and stories on various inglorious chapters in disinformation history, from chemicals to railroads to tobacco to fossil fuels. This is key for campaigners (and others) to understand deep misinformation and to be able to craft and embed new narratives. [Volt]
- Season 2 of Words to Win By, formerly Brave New Words, is out – Anat Shenker-Osorio’s excellent podcast goes behind the scenes of real-world narrative shifts that have led to huge victories. [Words to Win By]
News from us at MobLab Collective
MobLab Collective members Fotis Filipou and Wanjiku Kamau’s last project for Data4Change supported the strategy design for two data-driven campaigns in Mozambique and Somalia.
- In collaboration with FAMOD in Mozambique, a11y (shorthand for accessibility) is a campaign about the accessibility of websites in Mozambique. Together, FAMOD and Data4Change turned data about the accessibility of Mozambican websites into an interactive campaign that features a quiz to test the accessibility of your own website, as well as a toolkit for improving digital accessibility.
- In collaboration with Digital Shelter in Somalia, this collectively designed data driven campaign called Without Fear turned the results from a survey about online gender-based violence in Somalia into a brilliant campaign that includes a data-driven poem, articles, meet-ups and a digital security calendar.
JOBS
Looking to create change (or make a change)? Scan these open roles in campaigning, digital innovation and social change leadership. Have a job to share? Use this form to let us know the details!
- Senior Global Communications Specialist – 350.org – Open until filled, interviews ideally beginning 22 November [Remote, Asia-Pacific preferred]
- The Changemaker Authors Cohort, a new year-long intensive coaching program supporting full-time movement activists and social justice practitioners to complete books that create deep, durable narrative change, restructuring the way people feel, think, and respond to the world – Narrative Initiative and Unicorn Authors Club – Apply by 20 November [Remote, US]
- Senior Strategist – The Sunrise Project – Apply by 21 November [Remote, Global]
- Auto Campaign Director – The Sunrise Project – Apply by 22 December [Remote, ideally US]
- Board Member (voluntary) – NEON New Economy Organisers Network – Open until filled [Remote, but paid travel to London necessary 1x year]
- Communications/Narrative Strategist – Change Consulting – Open until filled [Remote, US preferred]
- Health & Vaccine Justice Organizer – Just Treatment – Apply by 28 November [London or Bristol, UK preferred]
- Vice President of Communications and Storytelling – Pop Culture Collective – Open until filled [Remote, US]
- Design Researcher – Mindworks Lab – Open until filled [Remote, East Asia]
- JustTech Fellowship: 2-year, full-time fellowship offering $100K+/yr to support research at the intersection of tech & social justice – Social Science Research Council – Apply by 2 January, 2022 [Remote, US]
- Tech Lead, Full Stack Developer, Trauma-informed therapist, Project Manager (Bloom) – Chayn – Open until filled [Remote]
- Head of Campaigns and Politics – The Climate Coalition – Apply by 17 November [Remote, some travel to London]
- Digital Campaigner – Foxglove – Apply by 11 December [London]
- Fund Director – European AI Fund – Apply by 13 December [Belgium preferred, EU/UK]
- Junior Campaigner (Gender & Sexuality) – Jhatkaa – Open until filled [Remote, India]
- Senior Program Officer (Fellowships & Awards) – Mozilla Foundation – Open until filled [San Francisco Office, Remote US, Toronto Office, Remote Canada, Berlin Office, Remote Germany, Remote UK]
- Head of Programs – World Animal Protection – Apply by 30 November [Bangkok, Thailand]
- Deputy Director: Campaigns and Network Development – OPEN – Apply by 29 November [Remote within +/- 4 hour from CET (Madrid)]
- Head of Policy and Litigation, Policy Manager (Sector Support), Investigator, Freelance Policy Consultant, Consultant – Open Rights Group – Different deadlines [Remote, UK]
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