In this talk from our Frontiers of Social Innovation forum in May, Trabian Shorters offers perspective and perception tools that we all can use to update our narratives on race, communities, and America’s future. He demonstrates how far too often, we focus on negative statistics about groups such as Black men, rather than emphasizing their strengths, positive contributions, and future potential. And he shows how a technique called “asset-framing” can help us tell positive stories about people and encourage the understanding, empathy, and optimism that are necessary for meaningful social change.
Shorters is founder and CEO of BMe Community, a network of all races and genders committed to building better communities across the United States and promoting and celebrating the contributions of Black men. Before starting BMe Community, Shorters served as vice president of the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation and worked as a tech entrepreneur. His work on “asset-framing” earned him an Aspen Institute Fellowship and an Ashoka fellowship, and he is the co-editor of the New York Times bestseller REACH: 40 Black Men Speak on Living, Leading and Succeeding.
If desired, you can follow along with the slideshow that accompanied Shorters’s presentation here.