REFORM Alliance :: Answer Their Call

In the U.S., 2.3 million people behind bars are at dangerously high risk for contracting Covid-19. Their prison sentences shouldn’t become death sentences. We hijacked social feeds with a campaign that connected people directly to those who are incarcerated. A series of short videos asked people on the outside to #AnswerTheirCall, hear their fears, experiences and post-pandemic hopes firsthand via phone conversations, and take action to help REFORM protect them. 

The campaign—comprising of a hotline, 10 social videos and a film—was kicked off by REFORM co-chair Meek Mill, and amplified by Van Jones, Madonna, Kim Kardashian-West, Jack Dorsey, Pete Buttigieg, Andrew Yang, Robin Thicke, and more.

Press: CBSRolling Stone, NBCPolitico, The Source, Complex, AdAge, Adweek

"I'm in a dorm setting with a hundred other inmates on a daily basis, so it's really impossible for me to practice social distancing... I'm really in fear for my health and my life, ‘cause who's to say that if I contract the coronavirus, I’m to beat it?" —Elijah M.

"We as inmates, we do suffer in our silence... The government, everybody is focused on the virus, you know, and they're not seeing farther than that... They're worrying about people getting sick and dying out there. But what about in here?" —Christine C.

"I'm terrified. I'm scared. I'm nervous. I don't know what to expect, if I'm getting out. And to be going through everything I went through in my life to be back in here on a violation. Like, damn, it's a possibility I can die in here." —Adrian R.

"We have somebody that loves us dearly, too, and we have loved ones out there that we love and want to be home with. Our lives matter, too—even though we may have committed an offense. But we're paying for it... We're still human. You don't just write us off." —Angela W.


THE NEW YORK TIMES :: The Truth Can Change How We See The World

The 1619 Project, a New York Times initiative marking 400 years since the first ship carrying enslaved Africans arrived in Point Comfort, Virginia, challenges what we know to be true about the legacy of slavery in America. And journalism like this—work that changes how we see the world—is worth subscribing for. Here, Janelle Monae reads the introduction of the 1619 Project from the very shores it was inspired by.

The film, directed by Jenn Nkiru, aired during the 2020 Academy Awards.

Press: AdweekAdAgeCommunication Arts, Axios, Poynter, The Daily Show, Media Post, The Drum, The Grio, The Hollywood Reporter


FACEBOOK :: Never Lost

From its onset, Covid-19 has upended the lives of millions of people across the globe. Despite it dismantling perceived norms and causing unquantifiable loss, it has shown that the only way to get through a crisis is with each other. The short film “Never Lost,” which marked the launch of Facebook's Covid Support marketplace, illustrates the idea that as humans, we're never truly lost as long as we can connect to each other. 

The film, set to Kate Tempest’s 2019 poem, “People’s Faces,” was premiered on Facebook by Mark Zuckerberg.

Press: Fast CompanyPeopleYahoo NewsAdageThe DrumMuse by Clio, Adweek


FACEBOOK :: Reinvent

Facebook has a wide set of business tools that help connect businesses to their customers, but despite the millions of businesses that use these tools, millions more haven’t realized how helpful they can be. To change that, we told the stories of three small business owners through the lens of the Facebook Tools that helped them stay open when the world shut down, then grow their business beyond that. We set the stage with Stasha Harris' Brooklyn braiding salon, Magic Fingers Studio, before diving into the micro stories of Chicago-based Mexican paletaria, Razpachos, and New Jersey-based jewelry business, KZMT & Co.

The films were directed by Crystal Kaziya, the documentary filmmaker behind Sundance-selected shorts, Edgecombe and See You Next Time.


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