ICE descended on Los Angeles with unprecedented force. Families were torn apart, neighbors and workers forcibly removed. Amid the headlines about clashes, the real story emerged: a city refusing to let fear win. Angelenos formed human shields, communities standing together, declaring: Los Angeles supports its undocumented neighbors. Writers and creatives hold the power to capture these human stories beyond the news.

The surprisingly funny coming-of-age story of one Japanese-American undocumented immigrant.

5 Tips to Consider When Creating Content About Immigrants

In this exclusive interview, the three founders of #BlackLivesMatter discuss the original of the hashtag, and their vision about the movement for Black lives.

In 2018, Define American began a research partnership with the USC Annenberg Norman Lear Center’s Media Impact Project (MIP) that sought to identify and contextualize all immigrant characters on TV. As described in the report Immigration Nation: Exploring Immigrant Portrayals on Television, the study found that one-third of immigrant characters on TV were associated with crime in some way, and 11% were associated with incarceration.

Our third groundbreaking television research on immigrant representation with USC Norman Lear Center's Media Impact Project is changing storytelling in Hollywood.

An Inclusive Guide for Supporting Immigrant, Migrant, and Undocumented Artists with Fellowships, Grants, and Residencies.

In today’s fast-paced media landscape, accurate and informed reporting on immigration is more important than ever. Journalists play a pivotal role in shaping public perception and policy, making it imperative that they are well-versed in the basics of immigration.

The culmination of two years of coalition-oriented work supported by Tides Foundation, which brought innovative research into real-world narrative change practice for immigration nonprofits.

Uncovering the tactics of anti-immigration YouTube, and tools to fight back.

Uncovering the tactics of anti-immigration messaging on YouTube.

Findings from a research partnership between Define American and Harmony Labs to understand the media patterns of people who are moderate and open to change on issues concerning immigrants and immigration policy.

Tips for reaching the moveable middle on YouTube for immigration advocates and content creators.

We follow artist Favianna Rodriguez as she debuts her new series of paintings entitled “Pussy Power.” Through this creative journey, Favianna expresses the frustrations and joy of discovering her sexuality as a Latina.

We follow artist Favianna Rodriguez as she debuts her new series of paintings entitled “Pussy Power.” Through this creative journey, Favianna expresses the frustrations and joy of discovering her sexuality as a Latina.

Know the Risks, Responsibilities, and Rules for Anonymous Sourcing.

We studied the challenges faced by journalists covering immigrant communities, and the collaborative models they offer for local newsrooms across the country.

Introducing our Talking to Journalists Postcard

Stories are a prism through which we view the world. They can reflect or refract reality. From research conducted by our team at Define American, we know that when people connect with nuanced, humanized, immigrant characters on screens, stages, and pages, they better understand immigrants and their experiences.

This study harnesses journalism collections at Media Cloud, a project of the Center for Civic Media at the MIT Media Lab and Harvard University’s Berkman Klein Center for Internet and Society, to test if the language used in immigration reporting at four of the nation’s largest newspapers has changed over the course of the Trump campaign and administration. We looked at the frequency of offensive and inaccurate terminology in news reporting, primarily the use of the term “illegal immigrant,” from 2014 to 2018.

A How-to Guide for Nonprofit Organizations.