Bryan Mercer
Bryan Mercer, director of the Media Mobilizing Project in Philadelphia. He is a former national coordinating committee member of LeftRoots and also serves on the board of Free Press. [1]
He is a long-time staff member of Media Mobilizing Project, has served as Executive Director since 2013. He has led a number of major programs areas, including a collaboration with nearly two-dozen partner organizations to create Keyspots, a city-wide digital literacy program to broaden internet access. Bryan is committed to using strategic media and communications to strengthen and connect communities organizing for their human rights, and he frequently leads trainings and workshops to share practices for media in organizing. Bryan also works on state and national media policy advocacy, and serves as a board member of the Center for Media Justice, which is committed to a ground-up approach to securing media rights and access. Bryan received his bachelor’s degree from Columbia University in Anthropology and Comparative Ethnic Studies.[2]
Partner of Milena Velis.
Education
Bryan Mercer received his bachelor’s degree from Columbia University in Anthropology with a concentration in Comparative Ethnic Studies.
Activism
Bryan Mercer is a founding member and serves on the steering committee of 215 People’s Alliance. In this role he helped design and lead a campaign to end the state take over of Philadelphia public schools and run a grassroots GOTV effort to set ending mass incarceration as a priority of the Philadelphia District Attorney. Bryan is also Executive Director of Media Mobilizing Project, where he’s supported dozens of local and national campaigns through strategic media and communications over nearly a decade. Bryan received his bachelor's degree from Columbia University in Anthropology and Comparative Ethnic Studies.[3]
Netroots Nation
July 2019 Philadelphia hosted the Netroots Nation conference, a national gathering of progressives in pursuit of networking, collaboration, and inspiration from grassroots movements. The Reclaim Philadelphia crew made our presence known, participating in several sessions and shaking things up with a direct action, alongside allies Coalition to Abolish Death By Incarceration, that targeted Attorney General Josh Shapiro.
On Thursday morning, Rick Krajewski, our lead Mass Liberation Organizer, was on a panel alongside our allies (and officemates!), Bryan Mercer, Hannah Jane Sassaman, Arielle Klagsbrun, and Kendra Brooks, who are with Media Mobilizing Project, 215 People's Alliance, and the Our City Our Schools Coalition, to discuss how coalition organizing has taken Philly to the next level, and the unique challenges we've faced in doing it.[4]
MST connection
Media Mobilizing Project October 26, 2011:
Today members of Media Mobilizing Project, Poverty Initiative and Juntos met with Janaina Stronzake, a member of the Brazilian Landless Workers Movement (MST) to hear about how our brothers and sisters in Brazil organized the largest social movement in our hemisphere. — with Tanya Jackson, Crystal Hall, Desi Burnette, Milena Velis, Bryan Mercer, Dawn Plummer, Mica Root, Christopher Willis, Erika Almiron Niz, Miguel Esteban Andrade, John Wessel-Mccoy, Meghna Chandra and Kristin Campbell.
MMP Host Committee
Media Mobilizing Project April 23, 2014:
MMP is thrilled to announce our powerhouse-of-a-host-committee for our 5th Annual Sustainer Celebration and Launch Party for The Spark: Stories that Change Our Times.
Our hosts are movement-builders, media-makers, organizers, strategists, and everyday people fighting to win our human rights!
Alex Wiles * Alix Mariko Webb * Allison Budschalow & Jonathan Barnes * Amber Felton * Amendu Evans * Amy Miller, Melissa Beatriz, Jonathan Barnes, Gary Broderick, Desi Burnette, Wende Elizabeth Marshall, Anna Grant, Zoraida Cecilia, Melissa Robbins, Bryan Mercer, Audra Traynham, Mica Root, Kati Sipp, Bek Phil, Antoine Haywood, Jay Graber, Renee McBride Williams, Todd Wolfson, Sunanda Ghosh, Molly McLidz, Sheila Quintana, Nomi M-b, Alex Wiles, Fred Pinguel, Milena Velis, Ron Blount, Jeff Rousset, Katya Rosa Botwinick, Harvey Finkle, Brendon Jobs, Patricia Eakin, Willie Colon, Kristin Campbell, Amendu Evans, Allison Budschalow, Ociele Hawkins, Tc Owens, Rugiatu Conteh and Ron Whitehorne.
MMP Staff
Media Mobilizing Project Board, as of April 6, 2018;[5]
- Bryan Mercer – Executive Director
- Di Luong – Research and Policy Organizer
- Hannah Jane Sassaman – Policy Director
- Helyx Chase Scearce Horwitz – Tech Manager
- Milena Velis – Media Production Director
- Pep Marie – PhillySUN Program Coordinator
- Tc Owens – Production and Partnerships Coordinator
- Zakia Royster-Morris – Philly SUN School Organizer
- Zoraida Ossa – Office Manager
2015 comrades
Media Mobilizing Project February 25, 2015:
With Ron Blount, Hannah Jane Sassaman, Bryan Mercer, Alix Mariko Webb, Pep Marie, Phil, Jeff Rousset, Helyx Chase, Paul N. Marano, Lawrence Jones, Milena Velis, Kristin Campbell and Andrew Phillips at 4534 Baltimore Ave. Philadelphia, PA.
AAU's 28th Anniversary
Asian Americans United November 12, 2013:
Only 3 Days to go til AAU's 28th Anniversary Celebration Party! Special Thanks to our Amazing Host Committee & Sponsors!! Please RSVP now and ensure that you will have a seat at our benefit concert by the legendary Nobuko Miyamoto! You won't want to miss it! http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/461249 — with Judy At Aau, Maxine Chang, Betty Lui, Xu Lin, Ellen Somekawa, Masaru Edmund Nakawatase, Lai Har Cheung, Debora Kodish, Helen Gym, Joan May T. Cordova, Dawn Werme Pratson, Wei Chen, Neeta Patel, Alice Vuong, Rebecca Rathje, Claire Yoo, Peter Van Do, Mary Yee, Paul Uyehara, Hiro Nishikawa, Emily Lawsin, Janeya Hisle, Scott Kurashige, Carmen Febo San Miguel, Jean Hunt, Kavita Levy and Sookyung Oh.
Black Ideological Struggle Webinar
Black Ideological Struggle: Radical, Liberal, Conservative Public · Hosted by Sendolo Diaminah and Cazembe Jackson
Thursday, August 31, 2017 at 8:30 PM
Created for Black August Practice Group
- Join Sendolo Diaminah for a conversation about why Black radicals can and must learn how to effectively engage liberal and conservative ideologies among our people.
- September 2, 2017. Hey family! Here is the final recording from the Black August webinars! Sendolo Diaminah took lots of patience and creativity breaking down Black Ideological Struggle for us.[6]
Those expressing interesting on Facebook included Bryan Mercer.
Philadelphia comrades
Todd Wolfson in his book "Digital Rebellion: The Birth of the Cyber Left" thanked activists from the Media Mobilizing Project and Philadelphia, including Shivaani Selvaraj, Mica Root, Phil Wider, Nijmie Dzurinko, Desi Burnette, Ron Blount, Alix Webb, Bryan Mercer, Rebekah Scotland Phillips, Kristin Campbell, Hannah Jane Sassaman, Erika Almiron, Rachel Goffe, Megan Williamson, Fred Pinguel, Amalia Deloney, Martin Lautz, John Hough, Steve Chrevenka, Al Alston, Carmen Cuadrado, Amendu Evans, Audra Traynham, Peter Bloom, Lawrence Jones, Charles Clark, Koby Murphy, Quon Chance, Willie Baptist, Liz Theoharis, Liz McElroy, Mohammad Shukur, Bill Zoda, Tekle Gebrehmdin, Patrick Animah, Gary Broderick, Dina Yarmus, Ron Whitehorne, Patricia Eakin and others. [7]
Comrades
Media Mobilizing Project April 7, 2017:
With Tc Owens, Amy Miller, Di Lu, Milena Velis, Bryan Mercer, Helyx Chase, Pep Marie and Hannah Jane Sassaman.
LeftRoots
Bryan Mercer is a LeftRoots cadre.
Krasner team
LadenPele IL May 17, 2017:
Last night, as the results for Larry Krasner were coming in and it was becoming clear that we had won, the community coalition gathered towards the middle of the election party room.
Together, 215 People's Alliance, Reclaim Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Student Power Network, B.L.O.C. Party, and Neighborhood Networks knocked over 60,000 doors to talk to voters about Larry Krasner for DA and ending ending mass incarceration in Philadelphia.
It's a beautiful beautiful thing when a coalition can come together to try and do something big, like really big, and win like this.
I can't stop smiling about it.
I'm so so grateful to have been a part of this team even if only for the last couple weeks of the campaign. I learned so much from everyone involved and know that this is just the beginning of something really exciting in the city of Philadelphia
Huge thanks James Cersonsky for getting me involved and for all the work you did supporting this campaign along with the million other things you do for students all over the state.
Shout out to Lev Hirschhorn, Amanda McIllmurray, Nicolas Pastore, Ociele Hawkins, Arielle Klagsbrun, Bryan Mercer, Meghna Chandra and everyone from the coalition who poured their hearts into this campaign. I really learned so much from y'all and am excited to see what comes next.
And finally, to the best student team ever
Pennsylvania Student Power Network. Y'all are a part of history now. We knocked doors day after day for two weeks in Powelton Village and throughout the 24th ward. It was surreal when we reported back on election day, and most people we had talked to had already voted for Krasner or were planning on it. The commitment, passion, and hard work this team put in deserves more praise than I can muster with words. Amazing job Zaire Best, Avy Srinivasan, Tess Kerins, Jaid Munczinski, Shahmar Beasley, Nicky Dulepski, Becky Cave, Eli Cummin, and the whole team!
Now who are we going to elect next? I guess you'll just have to wait and see. 😉
I couldn't be more excited. — with Nicky Dulepski, Jaid Munczinski, Arielle Klagsbrun, Amanda McIllmurray, Ociele Hawkins, Lev Hirschhorn, Meghna Chandra, Andrea Putnam and Nicolas Pastore.
215 People’s Alliance canvassers
215 People’s Alliance May 17, 2015 · Edited:
Yesterday we completed our goal of knocking on every door in 8 divisions in the 9th Councilmatic District. Here's the canvas crew minus Nancy Dung Nguyen and Teresa Engst who were already out in the field. Alexa Ross, Ralph Branch, Todd Wolfson, Emily Mayer, Bryan Mercer, Patricia Eakin.
215 People’s Alliance
215 People’s Alliance May 12, 2015;
As 215PA counts down the seven days until Election Day, we're highlighting the voices coming together to support the 215PA #VoteJustice slate. Bryan Mercer starts us off:
"I’m voting justice for this guy. I’m voting justice because he, like every child, deserves a quality education from his neighborhood public school.