Reframing Resistance: Frontline media makers share stories of Indigenous knowledge, toxic prisons, & the quest for justice in Cancer Alley.
An unforgettable evening honoring the power of storytelling in the Environmental Justice movement.
In Reframing Resistance, three powerful media makers reflect on the interwoven legacies of land, resistance, and environmental justice. This event is produced by Counterstream Media in partnership with Frontline Resource Institute and Environmental Defense Fund.
Chantel Comardelle of the Isle de Jean Charles Biloxi-Chitimacha-Choctaw Tribe shares a visual journey of climate displacement and Indigenous knowledge through Preserving Our Place. Alexandra Norris spotlights the unwavering courage of Sharon Lavigne in Let No One Lose Heart, a portrait of frontline activism in Louisiana’s Cancer Alley. And B. Preston Lyles brings us I Can’t Breathe, a searing look at toxic prisons and the human rights campaign demanding accountability across state lines.
Hosted by Shilpi Chhotray, Co-Founder and President of Counterstream, this salon uplifts movement media makers of color who are shifting power through narrative.
Storytellers
Alexandra Norris. Alexandra is a multichannel media creator and producer whose work currently focuses on climate action, social justice, and politics. She is the Producer of Alive Inside, which won the 2014 Sundance Film Festival Audience Award for U.S. Documentary, sold to Netflix, and was released in theaters nationwide. Since Alive Inside, Alex has produced two additional non-fiction feature films – State of Eugenics, which was acquired by and aired on PBS and In Our Mothers’ Gardens, which was acquired by Ava Duvernay’s distribution collective ARRAY and is streaming on Netflix. Alex has produced numerous Telly and Webby award-winning projects for Fortune 50 brands, and episodic documentary work for MTV and VICE Media.
Chantel Dolphin Lady Comardelle. Chantel has a deep passion for her community. As Tribal Secretary of the Isle de Jean Charles Biloxi-Chitimacha-Choctaw Tribe, she serves as the backbone of Tribal operations. Chantel has served in this role since 2000, acting as a Tribal Representative while simultaneously juggling Tribal communications, archival and historical research, and grant writing responsibilities. Her current areas of focus include Federal Recognition, Tribal Resettlement, and the Preserving Our Place Movement. As a lifelong bayou resident and photographer, Chantel seeks to positively impact her community for future environmental, economic, and cultural sustainability.
B. Preston Lyles. BP is Lead Organizer for the Toxic Prisons Campaign of the Human Rights Coalition in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. TPC and Lyle’s work centers around SCIFayette, which was built atop coal ash waste. The intention of their work is to shut down the prison.
Host
Shilpi Chhotray is an internationally recognized media strategist, storyteller, and movement-builder dedicated to advancing environmental justice. She is the Co-Founder and President of Counterstream Media and hosts A People’s Climate for The Nation. With nearly 15 years of experience, her work has ranged from global campaigns on plastic pollution to building platforms that challenge extractive systems, elevating the stories of communities leading efforts for systemic change.
Producer
Chess Jakobs is an environmental social scientist, philanthropist, and social impact executive. Chess received the Ford’s Legacy Commission for New Play Development from Ford’s Theatre Society, a National Park Historic Site. Chess’s poem Sum of Steps was featured in Issue 03 of the Peace and Riot Magazine. Chess’s impact work has touched several organizations including DC Climate Week, Justice Outside, Black in Environment, Out in Climate, Girl Plus Environment, DC Environmental Film Festival, and more.
Presenters
Counterstream: Counterstream Media (formerly People over Plastic) centers the stories and perspectives the mainstream media often miss. We are a nonprofit media organization that uses journalism and storytelling to challenge harmful narratives and work towards Environmental Justice. Through our podcasts, publications, and live storytelling events, we amplify frontline voices and influence how culture and policy take shape.
Environmental Defense Fund (EDF): By leveraging our deep expertise in science and economics, EDF delivers bold, game-changing solutions to address the biggest challenge of our time — climate change. We work to stabilize the climate, strengthen the ability of people and nature to thrive and support people's health. Working in more than 30 countries, we focus on the areas where we can make the biggest impact. From slashing pollution from transportation around the world, to slowing the warming we're experiencing now by cutting methane pollution, to bolstering nature's own capacity to stabilize the climate.
Frontline Resources Institute (FRI): Founded in 2021 as a project of EDF, the Frontline Resource Institute (FRI) equips advocates and organizations with the tools, training, and funding needed to address environmental injustices. FRI believes that the people, and leaders closest to the problems, are the closest to the solutions- so we invest in them. A Conceptual Committee of eleven environmental justice leaders guide FRI to ensure we support organizations where they need us most. As a trusted partner to over 450 community-based organizations (CBOs), FRI has helped raise $363 million through grant training, issued multiple rounds of direct grants, and conducted research to identify and meet the priority needs of communities.