CNP and Fors Marsh Honored with Silver ADDY Award for James Baldwin Centennial Campaign
Atlanta, GA – May 6, 2025 The Counter Narrative Project (CNP) is proud to announce that their collaboration with Fors Marsh, “James Baldwin Centennial” marketing campaign has been awarded a Silver ADDY at the 2025 District 4 American Advertising Awards. The ceremony, held on April 26 at the Vū Orlando, celebrates excellence in advertising across the region.
The award-winning campaign commemorated the 100th birthday of James Baldwin, the esteemed writer and civil rights activist, by engaging the public around a series of events and digital storytelling initiatives. The campaign invites viewers to explore the legacy of James Baldwin, and how his body of work, and his ideas, are relevant today. The campaign also sought to inspire Black men to build community around books.
“I first discovered James Baldwin as a twelve year old Black boy in Southwest Atlanta, and in his words found not only the tools to be resilient, but the weapons to be defiant. I founded CNP 11 years ago as a love letter to James Baldwin who made not only my dreams possible, but my survival as a Black gay man,” says CNP Executive Director Charles Stephens.
The American Advertising Awards, known as the ADDYs, are the advertising industry’s largest and most representative competition, attracting over 40,000 entries annually.
###
For media inquiries and interview requests, please contact:
Winnie Thompson, Publicist, contact@bookedenterprise.com, 678-938-7001
About CNP
Founded in 2014 by Atlanta native Charles Stephens, CNP is a narrative change organization that centers Black queer men. CNP has made remarkable progress over the past decade in elevating storytelling, training journalists, and collaborating with artists and arts organizations to amplify the voices of Black LGBTQIA+ individuals. CNP firmly believes that narrative change is vital to achieving social change and has been a staunch advocate for racial and LGBTQIA+ justice.
About Fors Marsh
Fors Marsh is a research and strategy firm specializing in behavior change and social impact campaigns. Their work combines data-driven insights with creative execution to drive meaningful results.
