We are Going to the Movies This Weekend
Define American is the nation’s
leading nonprofit media and
culture organization that uses
storytelling to humanize and
shift the conversation about
immigration, citizenship and
identity in a changing America.
We believe that immigration is a
racial justice issue, and in order to
change the politics of immigration,
we must change the culture in
which people see immigrants, both
documented and undocumented.
Changing culture means telling
personal immigrant stories
through news media and
entertainment media (such as
television and movies), thereby
impacting the way immigrants
are perceived in popular culture.
Ubiquitous phrases like “illegals”
and “anchor babies” are hate
speech that not only demean and
We believe that we cannot change the politics of
immigration until we change the culture in which
people see immigrants.
misrepresent undocumented
immigrants, but also prevent
others from seeing them as people
deserving of equality and reflective
of our nation’s immigrant roots.
We are the stories we tell.
When it comes to immigrants and their descendants — who, according to Pew Research Center, will comprise 88 percent of total U.S. population growth in the next 50 years — the stories told by news media and often ignored by entertainment media are largely inaccurate, dehumanizing, and lacking in necessary context.
Since 2011, Define American has played two equally important roles: challenging and influencing the media’s portrayal of immigrants, and creating original news content and entertainment content that leads by example. We find ways for Americans with legal documents to see those without as the friends, neighbors, classmates, colleagues, and community members they already are.
Ultimately, our cultural work leads to effective political change for immigrants and their families at the local, state, and national level. But just as importantly, we create and promote an environment in which immigrants are seen as human beings. After all, passing legislation does not automatically mean immigrants are accepted and welcomed. Our cultural investment — humanizing immigrants, changing hearts and minds through targeted and strategic campaigns — transcends the politics of the moment.
When it comes to immigrants and their descendants — who, according to Pew Research Center, will comprise 88 percent of total U.S. population growth in the next 50 years — the stories told by news media and often ignored by entertainment media are largely inaccurate, dehumanizing, and lacking in necessary context.
Since 2011, Define American has played two equally important roles: challenging and influencing the media’s portrayal of immigrants, and creating original news content and entertainment content that leads by example. We find ways for Americans with legal documents to see those without as the friends, neighbors, classmates, colleagues, and community members they already are.
Ultimately, our cultural work leads to effective political change for immigrants and their families at the local, state, and national level. But just as importantly, we create and promote an environment in which immigrants are seen as human beings. After all, passing legislation does not automatically mean immigrants are accepted and welcomed. Our cultural investment — humanizing immigrants, changing hearts and minds through targeted and strategic campaigns — transcends the politics of the moment.
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