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by The Opportunity Agenda 

When’s the last time you got lost in a story? Where you felt so connected to the protagonist that you shared in their pain and their joy. The ability to see a piece of ourselves in the stories of others is what makes pop culture an engaging and powerful vehicle to inspire audiences and create change. It’s what we call the #PowerofPop.

This power becomes more poignant when we invite audiences to imagine a world just beyond the present one. A society where systemic racism and gender oppression no longer shape our present, but instead become relics of our past as we understand and heal their deep impact on our lives and communities.

We recently sat down with TOA researchers Dr. Tia Smith and Porshèa Patterson to talk about how futurism inspires them and their work to organize online fandoms or community-led cultural celebrations of “playing mas.” Watch their conversation below or stream it on YouTube.  

No matter how you choose to enjoy it, subscribe to our YouTube channel to never miss a #PowerofPop conversation. And visit the links in the show notes below to learn more about our work, their activism, and communities where you can plug-in and play more. Nerds unite! 

Show notes:  

• Porshèa’s #PowerofPop research on “What TV Gets Wrong About Getting By” and “Abbott Elementary: Bingo Night” 
• Dr. Tia Smith’s blog, “Why I Play Too Much and So Should You: Masking as Cultural Strategy” 
• Fandom Forward’s “Save Our Progress” gamer campaign and book club 
• Black Nerds Create’s resources and community