#AMPlify: Creating the Future One Social Media Post at a Time

By Elana Blanchard

At Be Strong Families, we know we can create the world we want to live in. Through the movements and stories we choose to promote, we can begin to foster a reality of vitality, connection, healing, and justice. 

As an outgrowth of our project “A More Perfect Union”, we have introduced a social media campaign called “AMPlify” that has been striving to blast out the work of others who are taking on the social issues of today and finding creative approaches to big questions. Peace is achieved through understanding of the other.  That is why we want to create opportunities to learn about one another and add humanity to complex world issues. #AMPlify seeks to recognize the work of people like Michelle Lennon, who educates on maintaining recovery for those who are struggling with substance use during COVID-19, and the initiative of the fathers in the Pasadena Altadena Coalition of Transformative Leaders (CA) delivering 3000 pounds of food to families in need. We have been drawing attention to people who are devoting their time and talent to heal and educate with this broader understanding in mind in order to perpetuate positive movement in the direction of progress. 

Over the past few weeks, this has been especially relevant as injustice that has been present for centuries has moved to the forefront of the world’s consciousness. As many seek ways to connect, educate, and take action towards fighting racial injustice and inequality, we have been highlighting excellent initiatives and stories that represent the progress we wish to see in that domain. Whether it be promoting companies like Eventbrite and GoFundMe utilizing their resources to fight systemic racism, or small communities in Chicago uniting to support local black business after they have been looted, we highlight positive movement at all levels. We have posted stories about ballet clothing companies finally responding to grassroots initiatives to create a more inclusive range of colors for ballet slippers and we have shown appreciation for the peaceful protests in Newark, New Jersey. Through amplifying the impact of these various stories on social media, we hope to show that a significant impact is possible. 

As hundreds of people read these posts, we all begin to ask ourselves, “how do we create and perpetuate more good? How can I not only draw inspiration from these initiatives but also learn more about others and take action?”. When we ask ourselves these questions, we are both honest about injustice before us, and taking one step closer to a more ideal reality. #AMPlify shows us that we should be engaging with these questions on all social issues and always striving to focus on human connection in order to bridge the gaps in our society. 

Honoring the broader context of families in a complicated world means working against polarization. Through AMPlify, we tell stories of what should be in order to shape what could be. 

We invite you to follow the AMPlify campaign and to share the stories that to you, exemplify positive change!