Stories move people, and people move policy

Interpreting the world around us is difficult, so people often rely on narratives—collections of stories representing a central idea or belief—to make sense of it. Narratives are powerful. They drive public imagination and attitudes toward people who live in poverty. Because narratives are a lens through which we view and judge the world, narratives also shape how we interact with the world: what positions we take on policy, how we vote, and how we treat other people in our communities. False narratives around poverty are some of the strongest held in the United States, which have led to misunderstandings about poverty and its causes and often result in misguided social policy. But this also presents an opportunity: changing false poverty narratives has the potential to create support for effective social policies and programs that actually address poverty’s root causes. The Stories We Tell is a campaign that centers stories from Memphis community members to reimagine narratives about poverty. We are uplifting narratives of collective care, solidarity, and generosity using behavioral science.