This is a time of change, of upheaval, of upending the tired, inaccurate, and incomplete narratives about the way that so many of us live in America. So much of white America has lived with its head in the sand, refusing to acknowledge the reality that surrounds it, content to consume media that happily perpetuates that fiction.
That’s why Daily Kos helped found Prism, a nonprofit news organization featuring voices from marginalized communities that is telling the stories that no one else wants to tell. As everyone suddenly realizes, those marginalized stories are real, they’re important, and they matter. And Prism has been telling them.
If you’re looking for ways to make a tangible contribution to the movement—one that lasts beyond a protest in the street—becoming a monthly supporter of the journalism Prism does is a great place to start.
Daily Kos has long seen a void in the media coverage of underserved communities. That’s why Prism was founded. That's why we’re the only ones who track sentiment on race relations and Black Lives Matter on a daily basis with Civiqs. (That data allowed The New York Times to write a piece on the changing face of public opinion around Black Lives Matter today.) This is a topic that is of core interest to me as an individual—someone who immigrated from war-wrecked El Salvador in 1980—and to Daily Kos, an organization committed to a more equitable and just America.
Now more and more people see why we’ve decided to do this critical work, even in our corner of the political field.
During Charlottesville, about a third of white Democrats were ambivalent about or opposed to Black Lives Matter, and about a quarter were before the murders of Ahmaud Arbery and George Floyd. We’re moving America, but we're also moving the people inside our own house. This is amazing, but we still have so far to go. As Stephen Colbert said last night while looking at that same poll (at the 2:55 minute mark in the linked video): “Just over half of American voters believe Black people have the right to live. Good news? It’s a start.” He added: “Now it’s time to put our money where our mouth is.” And that’s what this post is all about.
This can’t be a spring full of protests and then we all go back to the status quo. We have to keep telling these stories, promoting amazing talent, and keeping skin in the fight.
Prism boasts such luminaries as Tina Vasquez and Anoa Changa as well as Black Lives Matter co-founder Patrisse Cullors, Native American leader Kevin Killer, and powerhouse immigrant rights activist Monica Ramirez. The Prism team is working not only to tell these stories to the Daily Kos community (as great as that is), but to distribute this content for free to other newspapers and publications in order to share these important stories with the widest audience possible.
Particularly at a time when media as an industry is contracting and thousands of journalists are losing their jobs, we’re proud to be building something new and giving a home to some of the most talented writers and thinkers of color today.
Prism’s executive editor, Ashton Lattimore, highlights some of their great work here. But the bottom line is that we can’t sustain and build on this great work without your help as part of the Daily Kos community. So please consider becoming a recurring monthly donor. Even a few bucks adds up (there are a lot of us!). And if that’s too much, a one-time contribution helps as well.
We are changing the world, but we have so far to go. Please help us tell the stories that need to be told.