Since 1999, Breakthrough has been at the vanguard of harnessing the power of media, arts and tech to spark radical culture change. Working in the U.S. and India, we have used pop culture vehicles like music videos, video games, and stand up comedy to promote human rights at the intersection of gender equity, racial justice, LGBTQ+ rights, immigrant rights, and child and adolescent rights around the globe.
With the launch of our multimedia initiative to uplift the lived experiences and liberation dreams* of girls and gender non-conforming youth of color from across the United States and Puerto Rico—we are joining forces with partner content creators to expand on that mission on a new scale.
We believe that those facing systemic barriers have the most effective ideas for a liberated future. The best pathways to a liberated future are created by them and for them.
By & For: Our Communities will amplify the lived experiences and liberation dreams of girls and gender non-conforming youth of color in authentic, nuanced and respectful ways, and provide them with platforms to tell their own stories, on their own terms.
Direct giving is our legacy. Ignoring that legacy is anti-Black
Our folks built special kinds of ecosystems amidst all the strategies of economic instability that antiBlackness necessitates.
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9 intimate photos exploring the meaning & importance of Black queer love
Black queer love, in and of itself, is a defiance to what a Eurocentric, hateful world views as worthy, beautiful, and acceptable.
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A Black woman navigates outrage over continued anti-Black state violence alongside the pandemic’s mental health challenges
Ultimately, we rely on community care.
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What might happen if we ignore our grief during quarantine?
The day edges on. Repeats. Cracks open. Falls apart. I try to ignore my grief. But it’s still there, underneath everything.
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State institutions have never protected survivors. COVID-19 makes it clear community care is needed instead
During a time when survivors of color need these resources most, state institutions continue to tragically fail us.
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Black folks die from broken hearts all the time
*This piece is published in partnership with Breakthrough as part of By & For: Black Youth, a written series documenting the issues affecting Black girls and gender non-conforming youth. By Amber Butts Content Note: This essay mentions death, suicide and state violence. “Memory is a tough place. You were there. If this is not the truth, it is…
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10 Womxn Writers who will keep you inspired through the end of this stressful Women’s History Month
*This piece is published in partnership with Black Youth Project as part of By & For: Black Youth, a written series documenting the issues affecting Black girls and gender non-conforming youth. By Gloria Oladipo Womxn’s History Month is a time to celebrate the incredible achievements of womxn and femmes in a world dominated by the patriarchy. As a…
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Welcome to By & For: Black Youth!
Since 1999, Breakthrough has been at the vanguard of harnessing the power of media, arts and tech to spark radical culture change. Working in the U.S. and India, we have used pop culture vehicles like music videos, video games, and stand up comedy to promote human rights at the intersection of gender equity, racial justice,…
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MCNP: Vanessa Williams talks ‘Bad Hair’, identity politics & navigating high school
American actress and singer Vanessa Williams joins fellow Horace Greeley High alum and host Lauren Stockmon Brown to discuss the complexity of identity politics.
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‘Expressions of Frida’ podcast on WOC artists & their impact joins our BY & FOR: A PODCAST COMMUNITY!
We are so excited to be an official creative collaborator for Season 1 of the Expressions of Frida podcast, an engaging series dedicated to highlighting the work of emerging womxn of color artists and discussing the impact of art in social movements! Every two weeks, we’ll post another episode hosted by Expressions of Frida creators…
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Season 2, Episode 5: Richard Pryor’s Smith College professor daughter & granddaughter discuss the ‘N Word’ & respectability politics
Famous 1970’s comedian Richard Pryor had his own journey around the “N word,” and current Smith College Professor, Elizabeth Stordeur Pryor explains how her father disavowed his own use of the word.
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My Colorful Nana Project: “Education unlocks human stories & makes ‘othering’ people harder” an interview with Chidi Asoluka
Chidi Asoluka and MCNP founder Lauren Stockmon Brown question how we can collectively liberate the minds of young people
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My Colorful Nana Project: “Bending Gender Norms & Finding Creativity,” an interview with Jaysen Henderson Greenbey
This piece is published in partnership with the My Colorful Nana Project as part of By & For: A Podcast Community, a series of podcast partnerships to uplift the lived experiences and liberation dreams of girls and gender non-conforming youth of color Season 2, Episode 3: “Bending Gender Norms & Finding Creativity.” Lauren Stockmon Brown interviews Jaysen Henderson…
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My Colorful Nana Project: “Making Believers in Unprecedented Times,” an interview with NYC Mayoral Candidate Dianne Morales
This piece is published in partnership with the My Colorful Nana Project as part of By & For: A Podcast Community, a series of podcast partnerships to uplift the lived experiences and liberation dreams of girls and gender non-conforming youth of color Season 2, Episode 2: “Making Believers in Unprecedented Times.” Dianne Morales wants to be New York…
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BY & FOR: A PODCAST COMMUNITY launches with a creative collaboration between Breakthrough & the My Colorful Nana Project!
We are so excited to be an official creative collaborator for Season 2 of the My Colorful Nana Project podcast, a powerful series about a collected group of Generous Thinkers who invite all people to consider and celebrate their definitions of the words “beauty,” “femininity,” and Blackness through a discussion of hair. Every two weeks,…
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VIDEO: Indigenous communities can’t defeat colonialism without fighting anti-Blackness
Blackness was and is considered expensive, yet indigeneity was and is not.
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VIDEO: The Stress of the Pandemic is Gendered. Our Response Has to Be, Too
This is just to say that this pandemic has heightened forms of violence that have existed before, and have especially increased for many, especially women and GNC individuals.
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VIDEO: Connecting with my ancestors showed me that healing is possible, even in a pandemic
With the guidance and wisdom of my ancestors and that of a supportive group of friends, my mother, and sister, I feel and know I am a better person than before.
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VIDEO: This Earth Day, remember that colonialism is the virus, not people
Indigenous Peoples have been able to co-exist and have intentional relationships with the Earth that span over a millenia.
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VIDEO: Black, Indigenous & POC are disproportionately suffering because of the U.S.’s slow response to COVID-19
All of this originates because of colonizing oppressive systems that continue to exploit resources from Black and Brown Indigenous Peoples within the US.
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Welcome to BY & FOR: A TIKTOK COMMUNITY!
Breakthrough is a non-profit organization that harnesses the power of media, arts and tech to spark radical culture change. We believe that those facing systemic barriers have the most effective ideas for a liberated future. The best pathways to a future where everyone is treated with dignity and respect are created by them and for…
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