FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 24, 2022
CONTACT
Jerrod Ferrari jerrod@narrative-project.com 203.963.9224
The Narrative Project Receives Congressional Citation from Sen. Blumenthal, Unveils RAISED Model for Public Relations at Ribbon Cutting
Anti-Racist Public Relations Agency Celebrates Three Years with Partners
New Haven, CT - Sen. Richard Blumenthal’s office presented The Narrative Project (TNP) with a congressional citation, Monday as the agency celebrated three years with a ribbon-cutting and the release of the RAISED Model of Anti-Racist Public Relations.
TNP, Connecticut’s only anti-racist public relations agency, marked the occasion with speeches from Mercy A. Quaye, Founder & President of TNP, Joe Rodriguez, Deputy State Director for U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal, Sen. Gary Winfield, D-10, Howard K. Hill, Board Chair, Greater New Haven Chamber of Commerce, Founder Prosperity Foundation, Erik Clemons, CEO, ConnCORP, Gus Marks-Hamilton, Campaign Manager, ACLU-Connecticut and Anderson Curtis, senior policy organizer at the ACLU.
TNP and Quaye used the occasion to announce the RAISED Model of Anti-Racist Public Relations, which commits TNP to telling just stories by creating a broad understanding of the issues and working with directly impacted communities.
“Anti-racism work isn’t just about talking,” Quaye said, “it’s about doing. And what we’ve been able to do with our team here in Connecticut has been nothing short of amazing. We have our partners and supporters to thank for our growth and we’re excited to open our doors so that our offices can be a living room for the community.”
Quaye explained, that through the RAISED Model, TNP works directly with impacted communities to obtain their insight, knowledge, and feedback. In this work, “we offer compensation for people's time in a commitment to ending and addressing the impact of parasitic capitalism.”
As a Black and women-owned agency focused on telling just stories, The Narrative Project has partnered with many of the state’s most well known mission-driven organizations fighting for equity such as the ACLU of Connecticut, Planned Parenthood of Southern New England, Yale Center for Business and the Environment, ConnCAT, Community Foundation for Greater New Haven and others.
The Narrative Project started as a conversation platform in 2015, founded on the belief that every cause seeking to enact positive societal change deserves support and assistance when it comes to achieving its goals. The organization launched as Connecticut’s only anti-racist and social justice public relations agency and works collaboratively to improve individual and organizational race relations and normalize all intersections of identity.
“It was back in 2017 when Mercy came to me and asked who’s telling the ConnCAT story,” Clemons said. “It came as a surprise to me that no one was telling the story of the organization I founded, or the story of Black people today. I’m proud to have worked with Mercy and The Narrative Project, and I’ve put my faith in their ability to tell our stories.”
“To see a Black-led company lead a charge for anti-racist communications is nothing short of inspirational,” Hill said. “The Narrative Project is the sort of business that our community desperately needs and I’m eager to support them through this and the next phases of success in this state and beyond.”
Now more than three years since the official launch of The Narrative Project, the organization partners with over 30 organizations statewide, and has worked to support just and equitable storytelling alongside mission-driven organizations around the globe. Now employing 15 Connecticut-based storytellers, TNP is working to change the world, by changing public opinion.
“In celebrating The Narrative Project’s success, we acknowledge and celebrate the critical work that is being done in communities across our state,” said Rodriguez who presented the citation from Sen. Blumenthal. “The stories that are shared, conversations that are being led, and the people and organizations they are transforming.”
With a focus on 12 key issue areas including systemic racism, reproductive rights, justice system reform, immigration, and ending poverty, The Narrative Project is committed to positive societal change.
Quaye said the Narrative Project has a 10-year plan that will spread its model for anti-racist communications throughout the country, including Washington DC, Los Angeles, and Chicago.