Define American’s Julian Gomez joins Henry and Colin to discuss how Black Panther and other popular stories can be used to empower fan activism. Afterward, Henry and Colin have an in-depth discussion about participatory culture and civic engagement.
Today, Gomez is part of the core team at Define American, a organization focused on activist storytelling around immigration rights. Partnering with Fandom Forward (an off-shoot of the Harry Potter Alliance) and UnDocuBlack Network, Define American has been developing a study guide and tool kit around Black Panther which uses the film as a resource to reflect on borders, refuges, immigrants, and environmental justice. You can find the study guide here.
In this podcast, Colin and Henry talk with Julian about his experiences and about the new project, and then Colin and I have an intense conversation about how fan activism works and what it offers as a model for political mobilization. Much of what Henry has to say there draws on insights from his collaborators on By Any Media Necessary: Sangita Shresthova, Liana Gamber-Thompson, Neta Kligler-Vilenchik, and Arely Zimmerman.
