Press On

@pressonsouth

Press On is a Southern media collective that catalyzes change and advances justice through the practice of #movementjournalism. | presson.media

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Press On@pressonsouth· 11d

For @truthout.org and @solitarywatch.bsky.social, incarcerated journalist @kwanetaharris.bsky.social writes about how commemorating Black August transforms prisons—“spaces of intended destruction”—into “laboratories of liberation.” Read her piece at bit.ly/blackaugustliberation. 📸: Getty Images

Image description from Truthout: “Mourners give the Black Panther salute as the casket of George Jackson is carried from St. Augustine's Church in Oakland, California. Jackson, a Black Panther, was killed on August 21, 1971, by guards at San Quentin Prison.”

Press On@pressonsouth· 13d

Shift Press is a movement journalism publication that makes sure youth in Houston, Texas are both seen and heard. Their director, Uyiosa Elegon (he/him), believes that journalists can be accountable to grassroots justice organizers by working to break down barriers between the two groups.

How can journalists be accountable to grassroots justice movements? By Uyiosa Elegon, Shift Press Director. Includes photo of a young Nigerian American man smiling while standing in front of a background of trees.

Journalists can be accountable to grassroots movements by considering themselves as a part of the work. Our framing, word usage, and sourcing all help or harm movements.

Journalists need to break the editorial fourth wall. More people need to know how we do what we do. We need to provide journalism trainings to grassroots movements so our people can learn, practice, and challenge editorial processes.

Journalists can be most accountable to grassroots movements when our people have the time, money, relationships, knowledge, and spiritual fortitude to uplift journalists or take them and their organizations out of business.

Press On@pressonsouth· 16d

If you already know the principles & commitments of movement journalism, it’s time to take the next step! Learn what movement journalism looks like in action from award-winning journalist @tinavasquez.bsky.social—register for our August 12 Movement Journalism 201 training @ bit.ly/mj201training.

Press On@pressonsouth· 21d

We know that social movements and movement media are under state surveillance and vulnerable to attacks. Hilary Moore (she/they) of High Water Coaching (highwatercoaching.com) shared thoughts with us on how journalists can support the safety of grassroots justice organizers. 🎨: Asia Bordowa

How can journalists be accountable to grassroots justice movements? Hilary Moore. High Water Coaching Project Lead. Includes illustration of a woman with medium length light brown hair, blue eyes, and a blue hoodie.

Journalists can be accountable to grassroots justice movements by integrating the kinds of practices that keep more and more people safe. As stewards of key information, how you and your colleagues handle the data collected matters—you have the power to uplift and empower struggles, as well as expose people and make organizations more vulnerable.

Talk to organizers about the risks they face and get the support you need to play a meaningful part in mitigating those harms. Skilling up in this way is a critical part of our broader responsibility to grassroots justice movements and keeping each other safe.

Press On@pressonsouth· 22d

Tomorrow, July 21, is Black Women’s Equal Pay Day. We’re grateful to Black women journalists who continue to persist in this precarious industry despite experiencing discrimination and receiving inequitable compensation—tag some of your favorite Black women movement journalists in the replies!

Graphic that says, “Redistribute your resources to Black women journalists on Black Women’s Equal Pay Day, July 21.” There is a small linocut drawing of Ida B. Wells-Barnett in the left corner.

Press On@pressonsouth· 25d

Check out a recent investigation with important findings by Alejandra Caraballo @esqueer.net for The Dissident @ bit.ly/nyttransnews. Her analysis of over 3,242 NY Times articles uncovered a shift from affirming to skeptical editorial framing in the paper’s coverage of trans people starting in 2022.

Graphic with newspapers in the background that says, “Big surprise! The NYT continues to disappoint. A new study found that trans news coverage at the paper went from affirming and protective of trans rights to supportive of anti-trans policies and beliefs. Civil rights attorney Alejandra Caraballo tracked the newspaper from 2014-2026 and found that the New York Times shifted their editorial framing in coverage related to trans people beginning in 2022. Read Caraballo’s findings on The Dissident’s website at bit.ly/nyttransnews.”

Press On@pressonsouth· Jun 26

Take a moment to check out our reporting fellow Salgu Wissmath’s photo series, “Divine Identity,” at divineidentity.myportfolio.com: “Whether or not the viewer is a person of faith, I hope viewing these icons will empower queer folks to embody their own sacredness.” #PrideMonth

A graphic that features a photo of Shaman Seo, a Korean American queer femme lesbian, wearing a red dress adorned with Korean language and standing in front of greenery outside while holding a sacred text. She is looking to the side, and there is a halo behind her head. The graphic says that Shaman Seo’s faith tradition is Korean Shamanism and Korean American Shaman, and includes her quote, “Our ancestors want us to live a happier, more authentic, more aligned life. Because of my faith, I found out that I was queer. Because of my faith, I had the courage to come out.”

A graphic that features a photo of Delfín, a Latine queer and trans genderqueer person of spirit, sitting in front of a yellow backdrop. They are looking to the side, and there is a halo behind their head. The graphic says that Delfín’s faith tradition is fluid and blended, and includes their quote, “If I really believe that I’m made in the image of God, then as a queer person, I’m made in the image of a queer God.”

Press On@pressonsouth· Jun 24

No Pride without drag queens! For @prismreports.org, Mo Viviane writes about how Ohio & Kentucky lawmakers are targeting drag queens & trans people with bills that would punish people for expressing a gender different from their “biological sex.” Read the story at bit.ly/dragban. 📸: Audra McClain

Image description from Prism: “Indica Blows performs at a club in Ohio, where lawmakers are considering an anti-LGBTQIA+ bill that would criminalize drag performers and trans people existing in public.”

Press On@pressonsouth· Jun 22

Join our friends, Familia: Trans Queer Liberation Movement, for the launch of Escuelita, political education for trans queer Latine migrants, on June 25 (linktr.ee/familiatqlm)! Learn how to take action for liberation, drawing from history, theory, political analysis & your own lived experiences. 🏳️‍⚧️

"Familia TLQM’s Escuelita is a political education effort for and by the experiences and analysis of trans queer Latine migrant communities. Through accessible, community-based learning, we cultivate political clarity, tools, and guts needed for sustained collective struggle. Escuelita meets you where you’re at. Whether you’re familiar with the concepts we discuss and already organizing or looking for an entryway, we believe we always have something to learn from each other.

Our sessions will combine theory, history, and political analysis with engaging calls to action tied to existing campaigns and organizing initiatives with partner organizations. We aim to expand critical thinking skills around systems of oppression through a trans and queer migrant lens, while offering practical tools for organizing and collective world-building.

At Escuelita, learning is:
Accessible and community-rooted
Interactive and action-oriented
Foundation for organized resistance and movement building
Cyclical and collective—sourced from our experiences
Liberatory"

"Who we want to prioritize learning with:
Trans and queer migrants
Parents and loved ones of trans and queer migrants
People with less access to learning about systems of oppression—rural communities, folks without secondary or higher education, working class
Other LGBTQ+ or immigrant folks wanting to build solidarity with TQ migrants
Nonprofit leaders and employees

Escuelita sessions will cover the following suspects: imperialism and colonialism, racial capitalism, settler colonialism, cisheteropatriarchy, anti-Blackness and white supremacy, ableism, crimmigration and the prison industrial complex.

We will explore these systems and their abolition, informed by our lived struggles and liberatory visions.

We know we are not free until everyone is free. Together, we will sharpen our analysis, skills, and dreams in solidarity with trans queer migrant freedom."

"Escuelita Goals:
Equip people for sustained organized struggle by sharpening analysis in a way that mobilizes them to consistent collective action and inspires them to bring more of their community members into the struggle
People with disproportionately less access to formal education are offered a supported and structured space to learn about systems of oppression and interrelated struggles
Challenging our own internalized punishment culture that justifies detention and incarceration in our communities
Support people to develop their own projects and community organizations in a way that doesn’t replicate colonial way of thinking and organizing
Educate and reframe in order to culture shift starting in our homes
Grow solidarity in a way that is truly intersectional to strengthen our movements
People will come into this work with more capacity to stay"

Press On@pressonsouth· Jun 19

In honor of Juneteeth, we’re shining a light on @media2070.bsky.social's Reparative Journalism Archive: Riot to Repair at bit.ly/riottorepair. Media 2070's work seeks to repair the media’s exploitation of Black communities since the days of chattel slavery.

Press On@pressonsouth· Jun 17

Farmworkers are essential in our society, yet they are invisibilized in corporate and mainstream media. Teresa Vazquez, grassroots organizer at Student Action with Farmworkers in North Carolina, shares her thoughts on how journalists can be accountable to the farmworker justice movement.

How can journalists be accountable to grassroots justice movements? Teresa Vazquez. Student Action with Farmworkers Grassroots Organizer.

Image description: Photo of Teresa. Teresa is tan-skinned with sunlight making her appear lighter with mid-length black hair and large square glasses, wearing a black shirt and black suit jacket with a line of trees and brick sidewalk framing the background.

In an age where all kinds of information spreads rapidly, sometimes creating a trail of misinformation when sources are not reliable, it is important for journalists to recapture the narrative and report clearly and accurately back to the broader population. However, it is not just about recounting the facts but of thinking about whose story is being told, what information is gaining attention, and how to engage people whose voices have been silenced.

As a result, part of being accountable to grassroots justice movements is creating space for people within these movements to share their firsthand experiences so they can reclaim the narrative of their own stories. There are ways that certain populations are being depicted in the media, so it is important for journalists to stay true to their mission and that no one single story is being told of current events. Overall, it is important for journalists to cultivate trust and community through media communications in our increasingly connected world.

Press On@pressonsouth· Jun 15

An evergreen Pride Month message from Southern movement journalism ancestor Monica Roberts, written in 2013: “We'd like media coverage to happen for the trans community when we have positive things to report in our community and not just during TDOR or when someone gets murdered.” 🏳️‍⚧️

Graphic with photo of Monica Roberts and her quote, “We'd like media coverage to happen for the trans community when we have positive things to report in our community and not just during TDOR or when someone gets murdered.” The background is a glittery blue, pink, and white trans pride flag.

Press On@pressonsouth· Jun 12

Support movement journalist @alexip718.com, founder of @thexylom.com: “The Trump administration wrongfully denied my work permit renewal… I have no choice but to leave the country.” Read more here: bsky.app/profile/alex....

Graphic with photo of Alex, a young Asian American man, with his arms folded, standing in front of a skyline. It reads, “Yup. I took a one-way flight out of the United States.”

Press On@pressonsouth· Jun 8

We surpassed our $8,000 fundraising goal last week—$9,950 to support Southern movement journalism! Because of you, we will be able to train, mentor, fund, connect & build the capacity of Southern movement journalists into 2027. You may sustain our work at any time at presson.media/donate. Onward!

Graphic featuring photo of our co-director, Nadeen, speaking at a direct action next to two people holding a banner that says, “Sweep big tech, not tents. Barrer tech no hogares.” Underneath the photo, it says, “With your support, we did it! We raised $8,000 for Southern movement journalism!”

Press On@pressonsouth· Jun 6

Solidarity forever! Because of you, we’ve reached 83% of our fundraising campaign goal—only $1,290 to go to reach $8,000! Will you, our beloved community member, help push us across the finish line tonight? Make a tax-deductible donation at givebutter.com/fundsolidarity!

Fundraising progress graphic featuring photo of our co-director, Nadeen, speaking at a direct action next to two people holding a banner that says, “Sweep big tech, not tents. Barrer tech no hogares.”

Press On@pressonsouth· Jun 5

Ali El-Chaer, Nour Nashville founder, on why you should donate to Press On at givebutter.com/fundsolidarity to help us reach our $8,000 goal: “An organization like Press On is not just about community building and advocacy, but it is about consistent and thoughtful curation of care.”

Graphic description: Why donate to Press On? Ali El-Chaer. Nour Nashville Founder. Press On's work is vital because it gives the ability for grassroots initiatives to share their work on their own terms, whether through artistic presentation or formal journalism; the ability to choose is what vitalizes communities.

Image description: A Palestinian American individual with shoulder-length, curly dark brown hair and bangs looks directly forward against a plain, light-colored background. They wear thin, gold-rimmed glasses, a gold nose ring with small, white beads, dangling gold earrings, and a translucent black scarf draped around their shoulders.

There is no assumption there is one right way to speak out, and in a time of censorship, initiatives like these cannot be ignored.

Your donation is well spent here; Press On offers such a great network of journalists and communications peoples, workshops, and support of other smaller institutions. They have allowed me to invite individual members from my initiative, Nour Nashville, to attend classes on things like podcasts, grassroot fundraising, etc. that they used to expand their own goals and begin conducting interviews within the BIPOC community.

An organization like Press On is not just about community building and advocacy, but it is about consistent and thoughtful curation of care.

Press On@pressonsouth· Jun 4

Tina Vasquez @tinavasquez.bsky.social has been a fearless leader within our organization since 2018 and currently coordinates our Freedomways Reporting Fellowship. She wants you to donate to Press On at givebutter.com/fundsolidarity to invest in the next generation of Southern movement journalists!

Graphic description: Why donate to Press On? Tina Vasquez. Freedomways Reporting Fellowship Coordinator at Press On. Features Editor at Prism.

Image description: Photo of a Latina with dark brown, chest-length hair and brown eyes, wearing silver hoop earrings and a black lace blouse, looking over her shoulder and smiling away from the camera.

As a board member, it was my great hope that Press On could one day bring back its Freedomways Reporting Fellowship, a first-of-its-kind program that provides training and financial and editorial support to early-career movement journalists in the South. I was thrilled to receive the news that Freedomways was coming back and honored to be asked to coordinate the program!

With your generous support, eight movement journalists are now working on pivotal investigations and enterprise stories across the region. Please consider donating to Press On today, to help sustain Freedomways and to invest in the next generation of movement journalists.

Press On@pressonsouth· Jun 4

We’re halfway through our annual grassroots fundraising campaign and have raised 76% of our $8,000 fundraising goal thanks to your solidarity! Support Southern movement journalists who are shifting narratives: Help us reach our goal by donating at givebutter.com/fundsolidarity by June 5!

Press On@pressonsouth· Jun 3

DaLyah Jones, PECAN Project founder, has worn many hats at Press On & hopes you will consider donating to us @ givebutter.com/fundsolidarity: “An organization like Press On is needed more than ever in these times, in a time and place where the media market is oversaturated with mis/disinformation.”

Graphic description: Why donate to Press On? DaLyah Jones. Founder & Editorial Director at the PECAN Project.

Image description: A Black woman with short black hair is standing in front of a white wall and part of a black and white picture of people from the 50s or 60s. Her skin is copper colored with tones of yellow. She's wearing gold hoops that are mid-sized. She's wearing a baby blue sweater vest knit shirt with golden necklaces layered on the top portion of her chest. She's smiling with a closed mouth.

Press On’s work is important because it's not about just giving folks accurate information, but it's also about: how do we equip ourselves with that information so that we can advocate for ourselves in our communities?

My grandpa was a hunter. One of the most essential things that he ever taught me is that whenever you go walking into the woods, the most important thing that you can do is identify the different variations of plants and animals and bugs around you so that you know what is safe and what is not safe, but also what you can use around you to protect you within that environment as well.

I think about how the work of Press On is the same thing: it is allowing folks to identify who they are in the world around them, the ecology around them, by identifying the different truths, the different things that we need to open our eyes to so that we can better move in advocacy of ourselves and our communities.

I understand that an organization like Press On is needed more than ever in these times, in a time and place where the media market is oversaturated with misinformation and disinformation. We have to have these dedicated organizations, people, and organizers who are willing to speak truth to power and to speak it in a way that is not only accurate but also brave. We need bravery in this moment.

Press On@pressonsouth· Jun 2

Important message from our board chair, Samantha "Sam" (she/her), asking YOU to donate to Southern movement journalism by June 5 at givebutter.com/fundsolidarity!

Press On@pressonsouth· Jun 2

Not only has Nadeen (she/her) served as our co-director for the past four years, but she also became the first Palestinian American ever elected to office in North Carolina this year! She wants YOU to donate to Southern movement journalism by June 5 at givebutter.com/fundsolidarity!

Press On@pressonsouth· Jun 1

Our co-founder, Lewis Raven Wallace @lewispants.bsky.social, wants you to donate to Press On at givebutter.com/fundsolidarity to help us reach $8,000 this week: “It's a beautiful community with a clear vision for how to actually interrupt the assault on our humanity and liberation through media.”

Graphic description: Why donate to Press On? Lewis Raven Wallace. Press On co-founder, Abolition Journalism Fellow at Interrupting Criminalization. Quote from Lewis: “We desperately need movement journalism right now, and we need more of it and for it to be really good, deep, and digestible."

Photo of Lewis Raven Wallace, a genderqueer individual with gray hair and bushy eyebrows, sitting on the ground and grinning with his arm around a large black pig named Dogwood.

"Press On is one of the only organizations devoted exclusively to that: they are developing the idea of movement journalism, and the practice, but most importantly, they are directly supporting the people doing this work.

It's a beautiful community with a clear vision for how to actually interrupt the assault on our humanity and liberation through media. This is a small but mighty organization that I am so proud to be a part of!”

Press On@pressonsouth· May 29

Until June 5, we’re asking our beloved community to donate to Press On in solidarity with our mission to advance justice and liberation through Southern storytelling. Be one of the first to donate at givebutter.com/fundsolidarity! We’re aiming to raise $8,000—your donation will be matched!

Press On@pressonsouth· May 27

Our friends at Shift Press develop young movement journalists in Houston, Texas. Dinah Whitley penned an op-ed for them on her frustrations with adults who voted for the current presidential administration that is responsible for escalating ICE violence. Check out her words @ bit.ly/youthagainstice.

Screenshot of Whitley’s op-ed headline and subhead imposed on background photo of ice that says, “When will enough be enough? Abolish ICE. How many teenagers have to suffer for adult ignorance until we stand up and fight for what we want?” Includes photo taken at a protest featuring a sign that says, “Democracy does not fear protest. Dictators do.”

Press On@pressonsouth· May 25

Each May, we celebrate Asian American & Pacific Islander Heritage Month and lift up AAPI people working hard to preserve their cultures and fight back against AAPI hate. We look to AAPI movement ancestors for guidance, like the legendary Chinese American organizer Grace Lee Boggs. 🎨: Into Action

Press On@pressonsouth· May 22