How Articulate Change Started
On June 11, 2020, Jenifer Cooper, Jason Hennessey, Paul Noble, and Whitney Westbrooks had their first phone call that led to the formation of Articulate Change. They were four friends, and the call was in direct response to the murder of George Floyd.
They supported nonviolent protesters taking to the streets, but wanted a way to impact the root causes that lead to racism and the obstacles that prevent its demise.
As they looked at their own lives, the four friends realized that so much of who they are and what they believe came from their exposure to people different from themselves early in life. This exposure made them naturally more open to other people, less fearful of unfamiliar communities, and always capable of change.
It’s why they chose friendship as the tool to drive greater social equality: regardless of circumstance, knowledge, or experiences, everyone can pursue meaningful new friendships.
Our Purpose
Articulate Change is a grassroots effort to achieve social equality in the world by cultivating one million best friendships between people who are different from one another.
The challenge of achieving social equality is so big and so difficult to crack, but we know that friendship helps to break it down into smaller, more manageable pieces.
Both a platform and a movement, Articulate Change exists to build a more socially equitable world through connections that we hope will lead to deep, meaningful friendships through small daily actions.
It is a sustainable way for people to be leaders every day, connecting with people different from themselves, sharing their stories, and learning from each other to create greater social equality and fairness in the world.
How will we do this?
Articulate Change cultivates and leverages friendship through an online platform that:
- shifts cultural awareness on the issue of race and other inequalities;
- improves the treatment of others through online tools;
- develops metrics to measure the impact of friendship on societal change;
- educate and inform ourselves through content we find, create, and share.
Our Vision: Creating the World We Need
Articulate Change is working to build a better world through 1,000,000 new friendships. Through our platform, these diverse connections will help us measure the critical success factors predictive of high levels of access, fairness, and justice for all people.
The network effect of our continued growth will translate into stronger communities and healthier, more productive work environments. We will know we are winning when we see demonstrable shifts in beliefs and behavior, shared by members through their participation and stories.
Together, we become the change.
