Our STORY
In 2018, A group of multimedia storytellers and housing, land, and racial justice advocates came together to reimagine the past, present, and future of our communities by transforming the stories we tell about them.
Our TEAM
SELECT A PROJECT TO SEE ITS TEAM AND LOCATIONS
Georgia Stand Up
Atlanta, GA
The Georgia Strategic Alliance for New Directions and Unified Policies provides support for grassroots community organizing and non-partisan voter education.
MORE INFO >
Leticia Hernandez
Bay Area, CA
Leticia Hernández-Linares is a bilingual, interdisciplinary writer, artist, and racial justice educator.
MORE INFO >
Rob Liu-Trujillo
Bay Area, CA
Robert Liu-Trujillo is a lifelong Bay Area resident. Born in Oakland California, he’s the child of student activists who watched lots of science fiction and took him to many demonstrations.
MORE INFO >
Right to the City
Boston, MA
Right to the City is fighting to remain in, reclaim, and rebuild our cities!
MORE INFO >
LA Fair Housing Action Center
New Orleans, LA
The Louisiana Fair Housing Action Center (LaFHAC) is a nonprofit civil rights organization established in 1995 to eradicate housing discrimination.
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Carla España
New York, NY
Carla España is a bilingual educator, researcher, writer, and speaker.
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Josh Healey
Oakland, CA
Josh Healey is an award-winning writer, performer, filmmaker, and creative activist.
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Paige Wood
Detroit, MI
Paige Wood is an award-winning independent filmmaker, screenwriter, producer, and creative consultant.
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Jolu Productions
New Orleans, LA
Brasilian-American filmmaker Luisa Dantas works at the intersection of storytelling, social justice, and cities.
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Kadi Diallo
New York, NY
Kadi Diallo is a filmmaker based in Harlem.
MORE INFO >
Julia Steele Allen
Philadelphia, PA
Julia Steele Allen is a writer, performer, community organizer and activist born and raised in NYC.
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Working Films
Wilmington, NC
Working Films uses documentaries to advance social justice and environmental protection.
MORE INFO >
Causta Justa Just Cause
San Francisco, CA
Causa Justa :: Just Cause aims to achieve justice for low-income San Francisco and Oakland residents.
MORE INFO >
Detroit Narrative Agency
Detroit, MI
Detroit Narrative Agency (DNA) is a community organization that disrupts harmful narratives about Detroit.
MORE INFO >
City Life/Vida Urbana
Boston, MA
City Life/Vida Urbana is committed to fighting for racial, social and economic justice and gender equality by building working class power.
MORE INFO >
Partnership for Working Families
Oakland, CA
The Partnership is leading a renewal of our economy in metropolitan regions across the country.
MORE INFO >
Leah Mahan
Bay Area, CA
Leah Mahan is a filmmaker whose work has been nominated by the Directors Guild of America for Outstanding Directorial Achievement.
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The Home Coalition
Houston, TX
Our shared mission is to make Houston stronger, more resilient, and more equitable in the long road to recovery from Hurricane Harvey.
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Cheryl Devall
Bay Area, CA
Cheryl Devall is a veteran storyteller in sound, images and words.
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Evan Narcisse
Austin, TX
Evan Narcisse is a journalist and writer, often focusing on the intersection of blackness and pop culture.
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Texas Housers
Austin, TX
Supporting low-income Texans’ efforts to have a decent, affordable home in a quality neighborhood.
MORE INFO >
Amr Al-Aaser
Chicago, IL
Amr Al- Aaser is a writer and video producer who has appeared on sites like Rock Paper Shotgun, Waypoint, Kotaku and Paste Magazine.
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Sanford Greene
Columbia, SC
Sanford Greene has worked professionally in comic illustration and related industries for over 15 years.
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Unites for A New Economy Colorado
Denver, CO
United for a New Economy builds community power through organizing; community activism and innovative policy solutions
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Neil Jones
Detroit, MI
Neil Jones is a multi-disciplined 3D Artist / Game Developer based in Detroit.
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James Williams
Detroit, MI
James Williams is an experienced 3D Artist with 5+ years of experience in various design fields
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Public Advocates
Long Beach, CA
We make a difference by holding public officials accountable, influencing policy and transforming legal rights into everyday realities.
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Gita Sonti-Jackson
New York, NY
Gita Sonti-Jackson is an award-winning writer and editor featured in MTV News, GQ, Kotaku, and Paste Magazine.
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National Low Income Housing Coalition
Washington, DC
NLIHC educates, organizes and advocates to ensure decent, affordable housing for everyone.
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Weathered Sweater
Winooski, VT
Weathered Sweater is a new Black-owned interactive media and art studio located in Winooski, Vermont.
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Pumashock
Atlanta, GA
Natalie White aka Pumashock is a singer, songwriter, and producer.
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Slothique
Atlanta, GA
Slothique is a BIPOC-owned one-top-shop multi-media production and design studio based in Atlanta, Georgia.
MORE INFO >
Kentuckians for the Commonwealth
London, KY
A grassroots organization using a set of core strategies, from leadership development to communications and voter empowerment, to impact a broad range of issues, including coal and water, new energy and transition, economic justice and voting rights.
MORE INFO >
Isaiah
Minneapolis, MN
ISAIAH is a coalition of faith communities fighting for racial and economic justice in Minnesota.
MORE INFO >
TuckerGurl
New Orleans, LA
TuckerGurl LLC is a production company for feature films, TV and web series, advocacy videos and theatrical productions.
MORE INFO >
Randall Dottin
New York, NY
Randall Dottin is a filmmaker and an educator.
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Local Progress
Washington, DC
Local Progress is leading progressive change at the local level.
MORE INFO >
ACCE (Alliance of Californians for Community Empowerment)
Bay Area, CA
A community organization that builds power to fight and stand for economic, racial and social justice.
MORE INFO >
Public Advocates
Bay Area, CA
We make a difference by holding public officials accountable, influencing policy and transforming legal rights into everyday realities.
MORE INFO >
Imani Mixon
Detroit, MI
Imani is a long-form storyteller who is inspired by everyday griots who bear witness to their surroundings and report it back out.
MORE INFO >
Mensen
Jersey Shore
Mensen is an artist, designer, writer, educator, facilitator and creative strategist.
MORE INFO >
Housing Now!
Los Angelas, CA
Housing NOW! California is a broad and diverse movement building power to make housing affordable and to combat the displacement crisis that is disproportionately impacting working class communities of color.
MORE INFO >
ACRE (Action Center on Race and the Economy)
Detroit, MI
A campaign hub for organizations working at the intersection of racial justice and Wall Street accountability.
MORE INFO >
Manufactured Housing Action
San Francisco, CA
MHAction is fighting for affordable housing and economic security.
MORE INFO >
Mo Banks
Fayetteville, AR
Mo (they/them) is a digital and community organizer. They are also the co-founder of Reconcile Arkansas, which exists to support trans youth in Arkansas.
MORE INFO >
Kelsey Van Ert
Brooklyn, NY
Kelsey Van Ert is a St. Paul & Minneapolis grown/Brooklyn based artist, arts educator, and producer who has worked with Little Island, The Clemmons Family Farm, Urban Arts Partnership, Voices Unbroken, DreamYard Project, and The Harlem Children’s Zone. She is proud to say that her artistic work, largely inspired by her African American & Ojibwe experience, has been funded and presented by some pretty cool places!
MORE INFO >
Georgia Stand Up
Atlanta, GA
The Georgia Strategic Alliance for New Directions and Unified Policies provides support for grassroots community organizing and non-partisan voter education.
MORE INFO >
Leticia Hernandez
Bay Area, CA
Leticia Hernández-Linares is a bilingual, interdisciplinary writer, artist, and racial justice educator.
MORE INFO >
Rob Liu-Trujillo
Bay Area, CA
Robert Liu-Trujillo is a lifelong Bay Area resident. Born in Oakland California, he’s the child of student activists who watched lots of science fiction and took him to many demonstrations.
MORE INFO >
Right to the City
Boston, MA
Right to the City is fighting to remain in, reclaim, and rebuild our cities!
MORE INFO >
LA Fair Housing Action Center
New Orleans, LA
The Louisiana Fair Housing Action Center (LaFHAC) is a nonprofit civil rights organization established in 1995 to eradicate housing discrimination.
MORE INFO >
Carla España
New York, NY
Carla España is a bilingual educator, researcher, writer, and speaker.
MORE INFO >
Josh Healey
Oakland, CA
Josh Healey is an award-winning writer, performer, filmmaker, and creative activist.
MORE INFO >
Paige Wood
Detroit, MI
Paige Wood is an award-winning independent filmmaker, screenwriter, producer, and creative consultant.
MORE INFO >
Jolu Productions
New Orleans, LA
Brasilian-American filmmaker Luisa Dantas works at the intersection of storytelling, social justice, and cities.
MORE INFO >
Kadi Diallo
New York, NY
Kadi Diallo is a filmmaker based in Harlem.
MORE INFO >
Julia Steele Allen
Philadelphia, PA
Julia Steele Allen is a writer, performer, community organizer and activist born and raised in NYC.
MORE INFO >
Working Films
Wilmington, NC
Working Films uses documentaries to advance social justice and environmental protection.
MORE INFO >
Causta Justa Just Cause
San Francisco, CA
Causa Justa :: Just Cause aims to achieve justice for low-income San Francisco and Oakland residents.
MORE INFO >
Detroit Narrative Agency
Detroit, MI
Detroit Narrative Agency (DNA) is a community organization that disrupts harmful narratives about Detroit.
MORE INFO >
City Life/Vida Urbana
Boston, MA
City Life/Vida Urbana is committed to fighting for racial, social and economic justice and gender equality by building working class power.
MORE INFO >
Partnership for Working Families
Oakland, CA
The Partnership is leading a renewal of our economy in metropolitan regions across the country.
MORE INFO >
Mo Banks
Fayetteville, AR
Mo (they/them) is a digital and community organizer. They are also the co-founder of Reconcile Arkansas, which exists to support trans youth in Arkansas.
MORE INFO >
Kelsey Van Ert
Brooklyn, NY
Kelsey Van Ert is a St. Paul & Minneapolis grown/Brooklyn based artist, arts educator, and producer who has worked with Little Island, The Clemmons Family Farm, Urban Arts Partnership, Voices Unbroken, DreamYard Project, and The Harlem Children’s Zone. She is proud to say that her artistic work, largely inspired by her African American & Ojibwe experience, has been funded and presented by some pretty cool places!
MORE INFO >
Paige Wood
Detroit, MI
Paige Wood is an award-winning independent filmmaker, screenwriter, producer, and creative consultant.
MORE INFO >
Jolu Productions
New Orleans, LA
Brasilian-American filmmaker Luisa Dantas works at the intersection of storytelling, social justice, and cities.
MORE INFO >
Kadi Diallo
New York, NY
Kadi Diallo is a filmmaker based in Harlem.
MORE INFO >
Julia Steele Allen
Philadelphia, PA
Julia Steele Allen is a writer, performer, community organizer and activist born and raised in NYC.
MORE INFO >
Working Films
Wilmington, NC
Working Films uses documentaries to advance social justice and environmental protection.
MORE INFO >
Causta Justa Just Cause
San Francisco, CA
Causa Justa :: Just Cause aims to achieve justice for low-income San Francisco and Oakland residents.
MORE INFO >
Detroit Narrative Agency
Detroit, MI
Detroit Narrative Agency (DNA) is a community organization that disrupts harmful narratives about Detroit.
MORE INFO >
Leah Mahan
Bay Area, CA
Leah Mahan is a filmmaker whose work has been nominated by the Directors Guild of America for Outstanding Directorial Achievement.
MORE INFO >
The Home Coalition
Houston, TX
Our shared mission is to make Houston stronger, more resilient, and more equitable in the long road to recovery from Hurricane Harvey.
MORE INFO >
Cheryl Devall
Bay Area, CA
Cheryl Devall is a veteran storyteller in sound, images and words.
MORE INFO >
Mo Banks
Fayetteville, AR
Mo (they/them) is a digital and community organizer. They are also the co-founder of Reconcile Arkansas, which exists to support trans youth in Arkansas.
MORE INFO >
Kelsey Van Ert
Brooklyn, NY
Kelsey Van Ert is a St. Paul & Minneapolis grown/Brooklyn based artist, arts educator, and producer who has worked with Little Island, The Clemmons Family Farm, Urban Arts Partnership, Voices Unbroken, DreamYard Project, and The Harlem Children’s Zone. She is proud to say that her artistic work, largely inspired by her African American & Ojibwe experience, has been funded and presented by some pretty cool places!
MORE INFO >
Paige Wood
Detroit, MI
Paige Wood is an award-winning independent filmmaker, screenwriter, producer, and creative consultant.
MORE INFO >
Jolu Productions
New Orleans, LA
Brasilian-American filmmaker Luisa Dantas works at the intersection of storytelling, social justice, and cities.
MORE INFO >
Kadi Diallo
New York, NY
Kadi Diallo is a filmmaker based in Harlem.
MORE INFO >
Julia Steele Allen
Philadelphia, PA
Julia Steele Allen is a writer, performer, community organizer and activist born and raised in NYC.
MORE INFO >
Working Films
Wilmington, NC
Working Films uses documentaries to advance social justice and environmental protection.
MORE INFO >
Detroit Narrative Agency
Detroit, MI
Detroit Narrative Agency (DNA) is a community organization that disrupts harmful narratives about Detroit.
MORE INFO >
City Life/Vida Urbana
Boston, MA
City Life/Vida Urbana is committed to fighting for racial, social and economic justice and gender equality by building working class power.
MORE INFO >
Unites for A New Economy Colorado
Denver, CO
United for a New Economy builds community power through organizing; community activism and innovative policy solutions
MORE INFO >
Pumashock
Atlanta, GA
Natalie White aka Pumashock is a singer, songwriter, and producer.
MORE INFO >
Slothique
Atlanta, GA
Slothique is a BIPOC-owned one-top-shop multi-media production and design studio based in Atlanta, Georgia.
MORE INFO >
Kentuckians for the Commonwealth
London, KY
A grassroots organization using a set of core strategies, from leadership development to communications and voter empowerment, to impact a broad range of issues, including coal and water, new energy and transition, economic justice and voting rights.
MORE INFO >
Isaiah
Minneapolis, MN
ISAIAH is a coalition of faith communities fighting for racial and economic justice in Minnesota.
MORE INFO >
TuckerGurl
New Orleans, LA
TuckerGurl LLC is a production company for feature films, TV and web series, advocacy videos and theatrical productions.
MORE INFO >
Randall Dottin
New York, NY
Randall Dottin is a filmmaker and an educator.
MORE INFO >
Local Progress
Washington, DC
Local Progress is leading progressive change at the local level.
MORE INFO >
Mo Banks
Fayetteville, AR
Mo (they/them) is a digital and community organizer. They are also the co-founder of Reconcile Arkansas, which exists to support trans youth in Arkansas.
MORE INFO >
Paige Wood
Detroit, MI
Paige Wood is an award-winning independent filmmaker, screenwriter, producer, and creative consultant.
MORE INFO >
Jolu Productions
New Orleans, LA
Brasilian-American filmmaker Luisa Dantas works at the intersection of storytelling, social justice, and cities.
MORE INFO >
Kadi Diallo
New York, NY
Kadi Diallo is a filmmaker based in Harlem.
MORE INFO >
Julia Steele Allen
Philadelphia, PA
Julia Steele Allen is a writer, performer, community organizer and activist born and raised in NYC.
MORE INFO >
Working Films
Wilmington, NC
Working Films uses documentaries to advance social justice and environmental protection.
MORE INFO >
Detroit Narrative Agency
Detroit, MI
Detroit Narrative Agency (DNA) is a community organization that disrupts harmful narratives about Detroit.
MORE INFO >
Evan Narcisse
Austin, TX
Evan Narcisse is a journalist and writer, often focusing on the intersection of blackness and pop culture.
MORE INFO >
Texas Housers
Austin, TX
Supporting low-income Texans’ efforts to have a decent, affordable home in a quality neighborhood.
MORE INFO >
Amr Al-Aaser
Chicago, IL
Amr Al- Aaser is a writer and video producer who has appeared on sites like Rock Paper Shotgun, Waypoint, Kotaku and Paste Magazine.
MORE INFO >
Sanford Greene
Columbia, SC
Sanford Greene has worked professionally in comic illustration and related industries for over 15 years.
MORE INFO >
Unites for A New Economy Colorado
Denver, CO
United for a New Economy builds community power through organizing; community activism and innovative policy solutions
MORE INFO >
Neil Jones
Detroit, MI
Neil Jones is a multi-disciplined 3D Artist / Game Developer based in Detroit.
MORE INFO >
James Williams
Detroit, MI
James Williams is an experienced 3D Artist with 5+ years of experience in various design fields
MORE INFO >
Public Advocates
Long Beach, CA
We make a difference by holding public officials accountable, influencing policy and transforming legal rights into everyday realities.
MORE INFO >
Gita Sonti-Jackson
New York, NY
Gita Sonti-Jackson is an award-winning writer and editor featured in MTV News, GQ, Kotaku, and Paste Magazine.
MORE INFO >
National Low Income Housing Coalition
Washington, DC
NLIHC educates, organizes and advocates to ensure decent, affordable housing for everyone.
MORE INFO >
Weathered Sweater
Winooski, VT
Weathered Sweater is a new Black-owned interactive media and art studio located in Winooski, Vermont.
MORE INFO >
Pumashock
Atlanta, GA
Natalie White aka Pumashock is a singer, songwriter, and producer.
MORE INFO >
ACRE (Action Center on Race and the Economy)
Detroit, MI
A campaign hub for organizations working at the intersection of racial justice and Wall Street accountability.
MORE INFO >
Mo Banks
Fayetteville, AR
Mo (they/them) is a digital and community organizer. They are also the co-founder of Reconcile Arkansas, which exists to support trans youth in Arkansas.
MORE INFO >
Paige Wood
Detroit, MI
Paige Wood is an award-winning independent filmmaker, screenwriter, producer, and creative consultant.
MORE INFO >
Jolu Productions
New Orleans, LA
Brasilian-American filmmaker Luisa Dantas works at the intersection of storytelling, social justice, and cities.
MORE INFO >
Kadi Diallo
New York, NY
Kadi Diallo is a filmmaker based in Harlem.
MORE INFO >
Julia Steele Allen
Philadelphia, PA
Julia Steele Allen is a writer, performer, community organizer and activist born and raised in NYC.
MORE INFO >
Working Films
Wilmington, NC
Working Films uses documentaries to advance social justice and environmental protection.
MORE INFO >
Partnership for Working Families
Oakland, CA
The Partnership is leading a renewal of our economy in metropolitan regions across the country.
MORE INFO >
ACCE (Alliance of Californians for Community Empowerment)
Bay Area, CA
A community organization that builds power to fight and stand for economic, racial and social justice.
MORE INFO >
Public Advocates
Bay Area, CA
We make a difference by holding public officials accountable, influencing policy and transforming legal rights into everyday realities.
MORE INFO >
Imani Mixon
Detroit, MI
Imani is a long-form storyteller who is inspired by everyday griots who bear witness to their surroundings and report it back out.
MORE INFO >
Mensen
Jersey Shore
Mensen is an artist, designer, writer, educator, facilitator and creative strategist.
MORE INFO >
Housing Now!
Los Angelas, CA
Housing NOW! California is a broad and diverse movement building power to make housing affordable and to combat the displacement crisis that is disproportionately impacting working class communities of color.
MORE INFO >
ACRE (Action Center on Race and the Economy)
Detroit, MI
A campaign hub for organizations working at the intersection of racial justice and Wall Street accountability.
MORE INFO >
Manufactured Housing Action
San Francisco, CA
MHAction is fighting for affordable housing and economic security.
MORE INFO >
Mo Banks
Fayetteville, AR
Mo (they/them) is a digital and community organizer. They are also the co-founder of Reconcile Arkansas, which exists to support trans youth in Arkansas.
MORE INFO >
Kelsey Van Ert
Brooklyn, NY
Kelsey Van Ert is a St. Paul & Minneapolis grown/Brooklyn based artist, arts educator, and producer who has worked with Little Island, The Clemmons Family Farm, Urban Arts Partnership, Voices Unbroken, DreamYard Project, and The Harlem Children’s Zone. She is proud to say that her artistic work, largely inspired by her African American & Ojibwe experience, has been funded and presented by some pretty cool places!
MORE INFO >
I usually work with one art director or one editor, but for this project I got feedback from a whole team of folks. Normally that would be tough, but in this case it enriched the story and creative process so much.
OUR PROCESS
Many of us had joined forces on policy and direct action campaigns in the past, but Rise-Home Stories Project is a first-of-its-kind collaboration. Longtime organizers, advocates, writers, filmmakers, journalists, game designers, and more are working in true co-creative relationships, crafting five innovative media projects to be released in 2021: Alejandria Fights Back!, a bilingual children’s book, Dot’s Home, a narrative driven video game, But Next Time, a nonfiction podcast, MINE, an animated web series, and Steal-Estate, an interactive online experience. Each of these projects speaks to the power of abundance and collective action in the face of increasingly toxic narratives of scarcity and individualism.
The Rise-Home Stories Team is:
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Crafting a visionary, shared narrative framework
Our work challeges the dominant, harmful narratives that keep our communities divided, disempowered, and fighting for survival, and it conjures an irresistible long-term vision of the world we want to build.
-
Building collective power through creative process
We’re blurring the lines between “artists” and “activists” in ways that have transformed our ongoing creative and organizing practices in our respective fields.
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Centering the voices of frontline/impacted communities as creators and protagonists
This body of work was made by and for Black and Brown organizers, artists, and audiences. This approach acknowledges that authentic representation of lived experience is vital to using media to build power and activate community.
Working on Dot’s Home was a lot like working on any kind of social change campaign. It took a long-term vision, shared values, and putting together a committed team. Ultimately, we all wanted to do right by our communities and our story.
Acknowledgements
LIST OF ADVISORS
Key Supporters
Amy Kenyon
Jerry Maldonado
Don Chen
Chi-hui Yang
Cara Mertes
Suzanne Shea
Narrative and Technical Advisors
Leila Fiester
Angela Tucker
Ill Weaver
Center for Story-Based Strategy
Detroit Narrative Agency
Josh Healey
Susana Ruiz
Benjamin Stokes
Paolo Pedercini
Michael Premo
Laine Kaplan Levenson
Opeyemi Olukemi
Molly Murphy
Hannah Hearn
Anat Shenker
Jon Funabiki
Valerie Bush
Jeff Chang
Christina "Phazero" Curlee
Core Resource Team
Executive Producer: Luisa Dantas, JoLu Productions
Senior Impact Producer: Anna Lee, Working Films
Supervising Producer: Paige Wood
Impact Producer: Julia Steele Allen, Kelsey Van Ert
Associate Producer: Kadijatou Diallo
Digital Communications Specialist: Mo Banks
Rise-Home Stories is made possible by a grant from the Ford Foundation’s Cities and State program.
