When We Tell Our Stories,
We Shape Our Future
The purpose of art is to lay bare the questions that have been hidden by the answers.
- James Baldwin
Inspire Change
The GhostLight Arts Initiative (GLAI) is a social-impact organization dedicated to the use of the creative, performing, and media arts as catalysts for social progress. Our goal is to leverage every artistic avenue to create tangible and sustainable impact across social and cultural systems. This impact is felt broadly through programming targeted with a national reach, and locally with efforts designed specifically to empower the city of Detroit.
Here at The GhostLight Arts Initiative we believe, at its best, art has the power to do three things:
Show us who we were,
Show us who we are,
and Show us who we can become.
Erasure is not an accident...
...It’s a decision. And the system is not broken — it’s doing exactly what it was designed to do. Our laws, our institutions, and the common narratives we repeat were built to shut some of us out. When whole lives are left off the page, out of headlines, and away from stages and classrooms, their needs disappear and exclusion becomes ordinary.
But laws are not morals — they are a mirror of what culture will accept. When culture says a people don’t belong, policy follows. But culture isn’t fixed. When we insist that the stories of marginalized communities are visible, ordinary, and inevitable, we change what that mirror reflects. Normalizing those stories shifts who we see, who we value, and upends unjust laws.
What We Do
We change culture by changing who is visible.
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We Invest in storytellers from marginalized communities.
We fund artists, producers, and media makers who have been excluded — not as one-off grants, but with sustained support: fellowships, production budgets, training, and long-term partnerships that let artists build bodies of work and careers.
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We Center and normalize those stories in public life.
We put work where people live: community stages, classrooms, local media, digital platforms, festivals (Obsidian Theatre Festival), and statewide hubs like Encore Michigan. We push beyond stereotypes and tokenism, normalizing the underrepresented so these stories feel ordinary, not exceptional.
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We Link narrative work to research and policy.
We pair stories with rigorous research, policy briefs, and targeted advocacy so audiences move from feeling to action. Story-driven events are paired with policy roundtables, briefings for decision-makers, and public-facing research that proves how culture shapes law.
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We Build cultural capacity and networks.
We train artists in storytelling for influence, partner with journalists and community leaders, and create distribution pathways so work reaches diverse audiences across neighborhoods and mediums.
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We Measure what matters, iterate, and replicate.
We track representation (who is seen), reach (who consumes the work), cultural shifts (media framing, public conversation, opinion data), and policy outcomes (decisions, hearings, reforms). We use that evidence to refine investments and tactics.
Why this works
Culture informs conversation and opinion changes policy. Art is the most powerful form of communication. Whether through theatre, music, dance, or film, we normalize the diversity within cultures, rejecting the concept of a monolithic minority. By making the experiences of marginalized people visible and ordinary, we change what a society tolerates and what it rewards. We build empathy and understanding across cultural barriers. We remove the underpinnings of unjust laws, and create the opportunity for concrete policy reform.
Upcoming Events
BACK IN CLASS : In Conversation w/Karen BrownMon, Nov 17Location is TBD
BACK IN CLASS : The Ultimate Pointe Preparation WorkshopMon, Nov 17Location is TBD
BACK IN CLASS : Reinforced Motor FunctionsMon, Nov 17Location is TBD
BACK IN CLASS : Traditional Ballet ClassMon, Nov 17Location is TBD
Evolution
Progress is impossible without Change.
The Helping Hands Campaign for the Arts (HHC) was founded in 2011 -- dedicated to uniting artists with the community through acts of service, fundraising, and volunteerism. Working with professional touring artists from Broadway tours like Disney's The Lion King, Wicked, Billy Elliot, and Jersey Boys, the HHC organized outreach events nationwide.
Every effort, project, and campaign grows as circumstances cause broad goals to focus into specificity and purpose. And, in 2021, a chapter was closed on The Helping Hands Campaign for the Arts and THE GHOSTLIGHT ARTS INITIATIVE was born.
Now we move boldly into a new chapter as we endeavor to use our platform as artists to create and sustain a movement that centers artistic and media expression as a conduit for knowledge and social change.
We believe in the power of theatre, music, dance, and the spoken word.
We believe that these practices have the power to initiate progress.
We believe in Art as a Catalyst for Change.
Want to get involved?
Are you a teaching artist looking to support, or a parent looking for classes for your youth? Maybe you lead a community organization and need arts programming in your neighborhood.
We want to hear from you!
Drop us a line, reach out, follow us on socials, or give us a call.
Let’s Work Together
We work hard to keep our programming free to the community.
But free isn't cheap and we need your support. Help us continue to make a difference with a one-time donation.
Or, if you are able, sign up to be a Monthly Sustainer. By giving just $1/day you can ensure our work remains accessible to everyone.
The GhostLight Arts Initiative is fiscally sponsored by Allied Media Projects. All donations are tax deductible.