Lecture by Jessica Mayberry, Founding Director, Video Volunteers

Across the world, people feel their voices no longer matter in public life. In the United States as in India, institutions are losing legitimacy, debates feel hollow, and digital platforms reward outrage more than understanding. But there are proven ways to change this. For two decades, Video Volunteers has worked with marginalized communities in India to tell their own stories and demand accountability, showing that when people speak on their own terms, democracy responds. These community-made videos have helped reopen schools, fix water systems, stop illegal factories, and shift local officials’ priorities—improving the lives of more than 40 million people. The lesson is clear: empowerment begins when those most excluded from the system are given real channels to be heard. This talk argues that the United States, too, must look beyond partisan divides and start investing in models that elevate grassroots voices as a force for democratic renewal. It will share stories of ordinary citizens who became leaders through storytelling, and highlight how new tools like AI can surface patterns from thousands of such stories—making the knowledge of everyday people visible to policymakers, activists, and communities themselves. For students, the invitation is to reflect on whose stories shape society today—and how we might build democracies that truly listen.

Jessica Mayberry is the Founding Director of Video Volunteers (VV), an NGO advancing the “right to voice” for marginalized communities as a foundation of inclusive democracy. Under her leadership, VV has become one of the world’s largest grassroots media organizations, training more than 2,000 community creators and improving the lives of over 40 million people through citizen storytelling. Based in India for 20 years, Jessica has worked alongside local leaders to pioneer models that transform grassroots stories into systemic change.

Her work has been featured by the BBC, Al Jazeera, PBS MediaShift, and The Economist. She is a Fellow of Ashoka, TED, and Echoing Green, and has received global recognition including the Waldzell Institute’s Architect of the Future award, the Knight News Challenge, the Edelgive Social Innovation Award, and finalist honors for the Indian Social Entrepreneur of the Year. Jessica studied Modern History and Languages at Oxford University.

Mayberry will be in conversation with Professor Durba Ghosh (A&S, History) and Associate Professor Christopher Csikszentmihalyi (Bowers, Info Sci). This talk is organized by the Humanities Scholars Program and co-sponsored by the Milstein Program.