2020 has been a year of incredible hardship and grief for many of us. It has also been a time of illuminating visions for radical change
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Allied Media Projects
Three dark-skinned children wearing neon colors dance on stage. The black light makes them glow and there is a light show in the background with stars.
Credit: Ara Howrani
Jupiter is brighter than any star, while Saturn shines a distinctive golden hue. Today is the Great Conjunction, when the two worlds move so close in alignment that the brilliance of their shared glow will be more visible than it’s been since medieval times. 2020 has been a year of incredible hardship and grief for many of us. It has also been a time of illuminating visions for radical change, moving into alignment with shared purpose, and amplifying the power of our relationships.
Allied Media Projects is honored to be in orbit with a vast network of truth tellers, change makers, and community visionaries through our three programs – the Allied Media Conference, Sponsored Projects Program, and Speaker’s Bureau – plus our newest endeavor: the LOVE Building. As we enter the darkest time of the year for the northern hemisphere, we are reveling in the reflective space that darkness provides, while channeling the light of all we’ve been able to do together this year.
Seven Bright Spots from AMP's 2020
1. We launched the Virtual Love, Virtual Healing event series. ([link removed])
From Black mothering to ancestral resilience and visioning, we went deep with this four-part speaker series featuring Walidah Imarisha, Lottie V. Spady, Talitha Johnson, Andrea Ritchie, Dani McClain, Mav One, and Diana Nucera.
2. We hosted 5,000 attendees from across the globe at the first-ever virtual AMC.
In the midst of COVID-19 and the global uprisings in defense of Black lives, we knew that coming together was more important than ever. We hosted our most accessible conference last July with 130 virtual sessions (many of which are archived online) ([link removed]) . We will continue to add content as it becomes available.
3. We launched a brand new alliedmedia.org.
This new online home for AMP and our community of sponsored projects makes the abundant resources of media-based organizing for liberation within our network more visible and readily accessible for people wanting to learn more, get involved, and support.
4. We nurtured collective care and mutual aid.
We supported our sponsored projects ([link removed]) in raising $14 million to show up for their communities through media-based organizing for liberation. $1.9M of these funds were distributed as direct emergency relief for Black and Indigenous, POC, queer and trans communities, who have been disproportionately impacted by the traumas of this year.
5. We began construction on the LOVE Building.
This 27,000 square foot building is the future of home of AMP and five of our closest partners in Detroit. More than just the physical space, we are constructing the relationships, the culture, and the values that we want this new space to embody (more here). ([link removed])
6. We grew our staff and made big moves towards shared-leadership.
AMP’s staff has nearly doubled since 2018, as demand for our programs and services steadily increases. We have even hired eight people to our core team during this pandemic. Stay tuned for an exciting update on our new Co-Executive Director early next year…
7. Through it all, we took care of each other.
We took to the streets. We took naps, we took breaks. We held space for grief and also for joy. We are ending 2020 full of love for our communities and more committed than ever to the work of cultivating media for liberation.
Give financial support
2020 has been an incredible year for realizing economies of resistance. Every dollar you give to one of our 150+ Sponsored Projects makes a difference.
Learn more & give today ([link removed])
Network Highlights
* The NDN Collective launched the LandBack Campaign ([link removed]) to reclaim what was stolen from the original peoples on this land.
* The Detroit Community Technology Project celebrated Tawana Petty ([link removed]) as she moved on from her work leading the DCTP Data Justice initiative to become the National Organizing Director for Data for Black Lives.
* Astrea Foundation and Research Action Design launched a new report, “Technologies for Abolitionist Futures ([link removed]) ,” along with a toolkit ([link removed]) for organizing.
* The Detroit Narrative Agency celebrated their 5 year Anniversary and the transition of leadership from co-founder ill Weaver to Co-Directors Ryan Pearson and Cornetta Lane. Watch a special performance created for the event ([link removed]) by Complex Movements and friends.
* Imani Mixon wrote this beautiful love letter to people named Imani ([link removed]) for Threefold Press ([link removed]) , a brand new Detroit arts magazine.
* Interrupting Criminalization launched a Coronavirus Solidarity Poster and Postcard Project ([link removed]) with the goal of sparking conversations around how we can support each other in staying safe.
* The AMC2020 Language Justice Crew reflected on their network gathering at the AMC and shared wisdom from their work ([link removed]) with the Se Ve Se Escucha Podcast.
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