28: Narrative change is how we win with guest Michael Tubbs

I had the great fortune recently to speak with Michael Tubbs, former Mayor of Stockton and Founder of End Poverty in California (EPIC) and Mayors for a Guaranteed Income. Mayor Tubbs is also currently serving as Special Advisor for Economic Mobility and Opportunity to Governor Gavin Newsom.

In today's episode, we discuss why and how advocates must focus on narrative change as a key yet often missing component of campaigns for policy and political change.

Storytelling is how we make sense of the world. Our laws and policies are products of the stories lawmakers believe about how social problems came to be.

My #1 takeaway:

As advocates, we must use every opportunity - and create new opportunities - to radically uplift narratives missing from our dominant paradigm, i.e. the dominant storylines that pervade our culture. Over time, this creates space for real change. As Mayor Tubbs explains, “an accurate story will lead us to more accurate solutions”.

In this episode you’ll learn:

2:20 - Our stories don’t often match reality
6:00 - Government is just people making decisions
7:40 - Why advocates need to change the narrative
10:40 - Change through Pop culture
12:44 - Here’s how we flip the script
17:38 - Engaging with showrunners and writers
20:27 - Why orgs need to invest in communications and PR
24:11 - Telling more accurate stories will lead to more accurate solutions

Click here for the full transcript and video: www.kbhadvocacy.com/podcast/michael-tubbs
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EPISODE RESOURCES:

Watch the Mayors for a Guaranteed Income Feature-Length Documentary - “It’s Basic” at https://www.mayorsforagi.org/tour

Check out the End Poverty In California (EPIC) Documentary – “Poverty and Power” at https://endpovertyinca.org/povertyandpower/

National Domestic Workers Alliance - https://www.domesticworkers.org/

Task Force to Study and Develop Reparation Proposals for African Americans Final Report - https://oag.ca.gov/ab3121/report

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