CoLab Radio interview

By Joseph Phelan, CSS Fellow

Terry Marshall, CSS Associate, and Chrislene DeJean traveled together from Boston, Ma. to Ferguson, Mo. twice, to support local organizers and activists who are leading the movement for #JusticeforMikeBrown. The duo, co-founders of Intelligent Mischief a creative design lab for social good, were struck by the creative ways local leaders are not simply engaging in street protests, but are producing creative interventions that get at the root narratives of oppression and put forward alternatives.

CoLab Radio recently interviewed Terry and Chislene about their experience in Ferguson and their thoughts on the actions they saw and were a part of.

"The point with creative actions is how do we control the narrative? How do we tell the narrative from our point of view, in a way that clearly gets our message across for liberation and justice. There are a lot of actions we can do that are not bad but aren’t getting out a clear message. If your message isn’t clear, that narrative can be spun by someone else or the powers that be." - Terry Marshall

"...in occupying a Walmart [an action that was a part of #FergusonOctober], which has been stealing from poor folks, we are trying to make people understand and see that this is about economic justice and democracy. That is something that folks were talking a lot about. Trying to link it up to these larger systemic issues.

Check out the whole interview here