Humanizing the immigrant narrative, one story at a time.

Climate activist Xiye Bastida outside the White House.
Jose Antonio Vargas holding a protest sign saying 'I am an American w/o papers' and raising his hand.
Danyeli Rodriguez Del Orbe performing spoken-word poetry.
Tyrell and his mom Gina from the show A Million Little Things..
Liz Ortecho from the show Roswell, New Mexico.

Define American is a culture change organization that uses the power of narrative to humanize conversations about immigrants.

Learn more about us

Our five programmatic pillars create an America where everyone belongs.

Purple and cyan butterfly with faces in its wings.

Learn about our research on immigrant representation in multimedia.

Research
A Black woman on a set with a camera.

Learn how we work with the entertainment industry to develop humanized immigrant characters.

Entertainment Partnerships
An Asian woman in business casual filming with a professional camera.

Learn how we work alongside newsrooms and with journalists to improve immigration reporting.

Journalism Partnerships
Three disembodied hands poised to throw orange paper airplanes.

Learn how we work to combat the rise in anti-immigrant sentiment in digital spaces.

Digital Storytelling
Danyeli Rodriguez Del Orbe performing spoken-word poetry.

Learn about our support and advocacy for immigrant artists and storytellers.

Storyteller Advocacy

Interested in joining our team of culture changers?

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Recent Press

December 18, 2022

Despite gains, immigrant characters on TV remain one-dimensional and too often linked to crime
Despite gains, immigrant characters on TV remain one-dimensional and too often linked to crime USA Today
December 08, 2022

Report: 40% of TV immigrant characters are tied to crime — that’s too much and a misrepresentation
Report: 40% of TV immigrant characters are tied to crime — that’s too much and a misrepresentation KERA News
See all press

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