CASE STUDY:
Helping Governor Newsom to Prepare Vulnerable Communities
During times of a disaster, such as earthquakes, floods, wildfires, or the global pandemic, vulnerable communities are often hit the hardest and are the slowest to recover or receive relief.
These communities include people of color, those living in poverty, older people, the disabled and people speaking limited English Amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, CSUITEMUSIC partnered with Listos California, a $50 million initiative of California Governor Gavin Newsom, to produce a number of short documentary films to tell the stories of preparedness disparities in underserved communities.
We created and produced a series of films titled What Happens to Us which targeted communities of color and other vulnerable communities by amplifying the voices of trusted community members discussing what government can do better to address the inequities in disaster response.
Our team put together a strategic creative and communications plan to produce these short films.
We collaborated with community leaders from African- American, LatinX, Asian-American, senior, disabled, and homeless communities throughout the state of California effectively reflect the needs and voices of people in vulnerable communities. The purpose of these videos wasto explore the intersection of community, culture, and power.
The short films were part of a number of statewide virtual meetings with emergency local managers led by Listos California and the Governor’s Office of Emergency Services. The meetings sought to address racial and cultural biases in emergency preparedness and response strategies and to provide a platform for Californians to communicate the barriers they face in getting prepared. Our collaboration with Listos California helped the campaign surpass its goal of reaching 1 million vulnerable community members with in-depth, culturally competent and accessible content.