Narrative Initiative

This month is the 50th anniversary of the end of the Vietnam War, and April 4 the anniversary of Martin Luther King’s assassination, giving us two reasons to reflect on a historic friendship that speaks to his vision and courage.

In 1965, Vietnamese Buddhist monk Thich Nhat Hanh wrote King a letter urging him to recognize their shared intellectual and spiritual legacy. A year later, they met and held a joint press conference in Chicago. They said, “...the struggles for equality and freedom in Birmingham, Selma and Chicago, as in Hue, Danang and Saigon, are aimed not at the domination of one people by another. They are aimed at self-determination, peaceful social change, and a better life for all human beings.” The trust that King and Nhat Hanh built together helped drive this anti-war stance into the public conversation.

It can be difficult to make friends across lines of difference, and that some power relations don’t lend themselves to friendship. But we can take King and Nhat Hanh’s example on building meaningful friendships whose care and commitments extend beyond just two people who know each other. Swipe to read three lessons we’ve gathered on how to make honorable relationships that change the world.

🔗 Learn more about the inspiring friendship between Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Thich Nhat Hanh: https://www.narrativeinitiative.org/blog-friends-in-struggle

For those of us working within climate justice and immigrant justice movements, the stakes could not be higher. Though much of our work right now involves defending against attacks, we must keep building our networks and relationships, and to hold our ground. Building new connections, and tending to established ones, is the only path toward powerful movements that can step into the chaos and orchestrate a resurgence of democracy.

As narrative strategists, we have learned that stories that emphasize the underlying values of care, interdependence, and power in organizing can provide a path forward. In our most recent blog, we share some tips from our Narrative Guide for Immigrant Futures, a guidance is based on original research produced by and , as well as research we conducted with Grow Progress. On March 31 at 1 p.m. ET, we will be unveiling a new narrative strategy deck on climate migration at our webinar.

Join us for Narrative Strategy for Climate Migration: Creating Content to Grow Our Audiences and Our Solutions, a webinar with Rinku Sen, Executive Director of Narrative Initiative, Orion Camero, Program Manager, Action lead, and Ahmed Gaya, Director of The Climate Justice Collaborative at the .

This session will explore the current narratives at play, identify needs and opportunities, and provide pragmatic guidance for communications and culture projects. We will nurture coordination of our collective power to center human dignity and democracy over disaster capitalism.

More information at the link in our bio

Rona Fernandez is a writer and sustainable housing, racial and environmental justice activist who was born and raised and still lives on the unceded territory of the Lisjan people in the East Bay area, California. Her writing has appeared in publications such as The Masters Review, The Rumpus, Yes! Magazine, Greater Good Magazine, and What God Is Honored Here? An Anthology on Miscarriage and Infant Loss—the first collection of writings by Native women and women of color on this topic. 

Rona’s book is a climate fiction novel which centers on a mother struggling to heal and keep her children safe in an increasingly hostile world, with the help of strangers she must learn to trust. Her work pushes readers to not only imagine humankind’s future but to question their assumptions about their needs, and what they would be willing to sacrifice to make collective liberation possible. 

The Changemaker Authors Cohort is a joint program of Narrative Initiative and the Unicorn Authors Club, partially supported by the Ford Foundation. Twelve movement workers will join us in 2025-26 to develop their book projects with coaching, community, craft support, editing, and participation in our 4-day Camp Unicorn virtual writing retreat. You’re welcome to join Camp, too! See links in bio 🔗 for more info.