Backbone DIGITAL lEADERS is aN agency conceived by unbought & unbossed Black women.
OUR MISSION
We’re spearheading a revolution at the ballot box & beyond.
Founded in the midst of historic uprisings, elections and a pandemic, Backbone leads movements by using digital to tackle high impact, high stakes campaigns and causes across the country. We make good trouble and train the next generation to do the same.
OUR VALUES
We believe true power is grassroots.
We believe ALL Black lives matter.
We believe justice delayed is justice denied.
We believe action fueled by love conquers all.
We believe the future belongs to those who speak up and fight for it.
Our ExpertisE
We drive revolutionary change through digital.
We drive revolutionary change through digital.
From intentional digital campaigns to accessible videos and graphics, we draw from our experience as digital organizers and strategists to push movements forward.
Digital Training
We develop the next generation of diverse, cutting-edge leaders.
Digital Strategy
We help campaigns and causes refine and share their stories.
Digital Organizing
We use social, email and peer-to-peer texting to mobilize communities.
Digital Campaigns
We execute thoughtful storytelling strategies across all digital mediums.
Branding & Design
We empower brands through art direction, copywriting, and multimedia.
Black women are the backbone of OUR democracy.
OUR STORY
Meet Mama Shug
My great grandmother had a backbone. Disco “Mama Shug” Moore was born November 9, 1903 in rural Louisiana and would go on to become one of the first Black business owners in the state when she opened Moore’s Café. Mama Shug fed hungry bridge workers throughout the 1950s — and these laborers weren’t building just any bridge. The 24-mile long Lake Pontchartrain Causeway would become the longest bridge over water in the world.
It’s the spirit of trailblazers like Mama Shug, Shirley Chisholm, Pauli Murray and the tenacity of modern organizers that inspired me to launch Backbone: a nod to the Black women and non-binary folks who continue to build bridges that uphold our country’s democracy every election and every day. From our earliest work with Michelle Obama’s When We All Vote and Stacey Abrams’ Fair Fight Action to our history-making electoral wins since, Backbone is bringing the gifts our ancestors gave to continue leading movements in the 21st century. In the prophetic words of Maya Angelou: we rise.
– Jess Moore Matthews, Founder & Chief Good Troublemaker
Our Partners
Our experience driving change spans multiple movements.
THOUGHT LEADERS
NONPROFITS
PACS
MOVEMENTS
CANDIDATES
