Shanelle Mathews

I collaborate with social justice activists, organizations, and campaigns to inspire action and build narrative power. I recently completed a tenure as the Movement for Black Lives communications director.

In 2016, I founded the Radical Communicators Network (RadComms) to strengthen the field of narrative power. I also train leftist and progressive spokespeople to make critical, real-time interventions through the media.

In 2017, I joined The New School as its inaugural Activist-in-Residence. I spent ten semesters on faculty teaching Black Resistance 1960 — Present, Critical Theory and Social Justice, and Resistance Narratives from 21st Century Social Movements.

In the fall of 2023, I joined City College at the City University of New York as their incoming Distinguished Lecturer, where I teach Narrative Power in the Black Radical Tradition, Rhetoric of Liberation: The Role of Narrative Power in Contemporary Movements, and Black Women's Resistance: Narratives of Safety and Survival.

I am co-authoring a forthcoming anthology detailing world-building narrative campaigns and strategies led by progressive and leftist social movement communications workers in the 21st century.

Liberation Stories: Building Narrative Power for 21st Century Social Movements

liberation stories: Building narrative power for 21st Century Social MovementsThe 21st century has seen a profound shift in the global socio-political and economic landscape, shaped by seismic interventions ranging from the War on Terror to the COVID-19 pandemic. Between 2000 and 2024, social movements like Black Lives Matter, #MeToo, the Fight for $15, Palestine liberation, and queer and trans resistance have illuminated a new narrative—one rooted in an inclusive vision of society, driven by a newly politicized and
radicalized generation.

This shift didn’t happen by chance. Movement workers have meticulously crafted communications and narrative strategies, honing their political messaging and storytelling to seize narrative power in today’s struggles.

In Liberation Stories: Building Narrative Power for 21st Century Social Movements, some of today's foremost progressive and leftist communicators, organizers, artists, journalists, and academics share their collective insights in one powerful volume. As right-wing movements gain traction worldwide—attacking our books, our bodies, and our democracy—Liberation Stories emerges as a vital resource for constructing the world we envision, one story at a time.The initial funding for this anthology came from Borealis Philanthropy and the Rockefeller Brothers Fund. Out Spring 2025 from New Press.

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Radical Communicators Network

The Radical Communicators Network is a community of practice for emerging and experienced movement and communications workers. We strengthen and radically politicize the ecosystem of social change communications, cross-pollinate ideas across movements, and incubate strategies to build narrative power for a just and liberatory future.

RadComms envisions a world where powerful narratives serve collective care, mutual aid, and self-determination for all people and where radical imagination creates conditions for people to meet their communal and material needs.

The Radical Communicators Network (RadComms) is a community of practice for social justice communicators to cross-pollinate discussions across various movements, organizations, levels of experience, geographies, languages, and political associations. This network incubates transnational connections, visionary narrative strategy, and collaboratively developed frameworks and best practices.

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Media Training

The role of the narrative practitioner in combatting oppressive forces is to advance counter-hegemonic values, frameworks, and practices across the domains of power that structure the organization of society and influence the experiences of individuals within it.
Narrative power goes beyond storytelling; it’s about who gets to frame the conversation, who is heard, and whose experiences are validated. Dominant narratives often serve to maintain the status quo, privileging voices and perspectives that uphold systems of power, whether it’s white supremacy, colonialism, or corporate capitalism. But there’s power in the margins—especially among those who are resisting these systems and crafting stories of liberation, resilience, and solidarity.

Trainee Testimonials

“Shanelle offered great technical training, message methodology, and prep advice, all of which I'd expect from a "good" trainer. What made it excellent was Shanelle's specific focus on what racially diverse, gender-diverse, a-little-bit-queer group might struggle with in imagining ourselves as spokespeople, in preparing to be on camera, and in thinking through how to separate our self-critique from the messages we have learned about ourselves from the outside world over time. It was both direct and loving.”
Steven
Inatai Foundation
“This training was educational, engaging, and practical. It felt comprehensive in that it gave examples and provided us with science-backed content and tools to support what we've been working on. Also, the immediate application (using our current work at CDM to guide the training was very helpful) was very helpful.”
Vic
Crenshaw Dairy Mary
“This was one of the best trainings I've ever attended! Shanelle brought such a great mix of definitions, framing, and historical context; practical tips, strategies, and messages; examples from the non-profit world, repro health/rights/justice movement, and other social justice movements; used mixed media examples (e.g., Tik Tok, news clips, etc.); ample time to practice and give feedback as a team; and a deep recognition of the role gender and race play in media/comms. Shanelle also facilitated an environment that allowed people to take risks, be themselves, and support their colleagues!”
Michelle
Pregnancy Justice
"There was a great balance of practice and theory. Shanelle is also such an expert with so much relevant experience, she is exactly the person I would want to take this training from."
Mark
Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights Under Law
“The training was highly engaging, informative, and helpful to advance our public speaking skills. Shanelle was an excellent facilitator, allowing time for presentation and questions throughout the training. This media training was the best one I've ever attended.”
Melissa
ACLU of DC
"Shanelle provided so much information about various aspects of public speaking while also maintaining a comfortable and safe environment for all of us to explore the ways in which we relate to our topics and how we would discuss those topics in public settings. She explained things so thoroughly, allowed for questions, and shared countless helpful tips in how to present ourselves and manage our anxieties, while also getting the important messaging across."
Kalvin
ACLU of North Carolina