Anneshia Hardy | The Hardy Exchange When people ask what I do, I usually say I work at the intersection of media, message, and movement. But really, what I do is tell the truth — especially when the truth is inconvenient, uncomfortable, or deliberately hidden. That’s what made my recent live conversation with former Congressman Joe Kennedy so powerful. It wasn’t just a policy breakdown or a soundbite moment. It was a chance to lift the veil on what’s really happening in Alabama and across the Deep South — and why narrative isn’t just communication, it’s liberation.
As a cultural narrative strategist, I’ve seen firsthand how the dominant narrative is used to distort, distract, and disappear our people from the story. This government shutdown is a perfect example. The headlines will have you believe it’s “partisan gridlock.” Let's call it what it is: a manufactured crisis, rooted in a long legacy of anti-Blackness, disinvestment, and political theater, and it’s hitting my community the hardest.
During the conversation, I broke down how nearly a million Alabamians rely on Medicaid, how 800,000 count on SNAP, and how WIC clinics are on the brink — all while extremist lawmakers spin narratives about "Democratic programs" and "illegal immigrants" to justify the harm. These aren’t just programs; they’re lifelines. And the communities most impacted — Black, Brown, immigrant, LGBTQ+, poor — are being told, once again, to wait, to suffer, to be invisible.
But this isn’t new. The playbook hasn’t changed. From Reconstruction to Reagan to now, every time progress is made or power is challenged, the system doubles down. And let’s not forget: the moment Dr. King began connecting race to class and uniting poor Black and white folks under a shared economic justice banner — that’s when he became a threat.
Lately, I have to remind myself that now is not the time to react in fear. It is time to reimagine and respond with strategy. It is important to help people talk about these political moments in ways that center our communities’ lived experience. Because how we talk about harm determines whether people feel paralyzed powerful.
As a scholar-activist, I study how narrative has always been a tool of both oppression and resistance. And I’m committed to using research, history, and culture to shape messages that move people, not just emotionally, but ideologically and structurally.
So, when I sat down with Joe Kennedy, I wasn’t just talking about a shutdown. I was naming a system. I was drawing lines between the past and present. I was lifting up the strategies our ancestors used to survive and calling us to do more than survive — to build, to organize, to dream out loud.
Because no matter how loud the noise gets, our truth is louder. And our people deserve to be seen, heard, and invested in, not just in moments of crisis, but every day.
Let’s keep telling the truth. Let’s keep building the future we deserve.
About the Author
Anneshia Hardy is a narrative strategist, scholar-activist, and social impact entrepreneur committed to leveraging storytelling and messaging for transformative social change. As Executive Director of grassroots communications and media advocacy organizations, Alabama Values and Alabama Values Progress, she leads efforts to strengthen the pro-democracy movement in Alabama and across the South through strategic messaging and digital strategies.
Co-founder of Blackyard LLC, Anneshia equips changemakers to amplify their impact in marginalized communities. With over a decade of experience, she has conducted narrative and messaging trainings for organizations like the NAACP and the Obama Foundation. Anneshia has also shaped strategies for landmark voting rights cases, including Allen v. Milligan and Louisiana v. Callais Rooted in the belief that culturally relevant narratives can drive equity and inspire action, she bridges academic insight and real-world advocacy to create lasting change.