From Compassion to Capacity: Narrative Accountability & Perception Politics

Join CID as we welcome TED Speaker and Harvard Resident Fellow Michael Rain. A dynamic storyteller, entrepreneur, and practitioner-researcher, Rain explores how narrative shapes identity, innovation, and global belonging—and how storytelling influences development outcomes. He is the founder of ENODI, a media and research platform chronicling the lives of first-generation Black immigrants of African, Caribbean, and Latinx descent, and the co-founder of ZNews Africa, an emerging tech startup and member of the Google, Facebook, and Microsoft accelerator programs that builds mobile, email, and web products.

Rain’s creative, entrepreneurial, and policy work has been featured in The Wall Street Journal, NBC News, NASDAQ, Upscale Magazine, and Tech Policy Press. A TED speaker (1.3M+ views), he has advised and delivered remarks at major institutions and global forums, including the U.S. Department of State, Google, Harvard Business School, The Wharton School, Columbia University, and NYU Stern. He holds an MPA from Harvard Kennedy School and a BA from Columbia University.

In this talk, Rain will examine how development narratives shape policy, capital flows, and public imagination. Dominant humanitarian storytelling—often centered on poverty and helplessness—can misrepresent agency and skew funding. Drawing on practitioner experience and media analysis, he will outline a more intentional approach to storytelling that aligns ethical communication with sustainable economic impact.

This event is hosted by the Harvard Center for International Development and will be held in a hybrid format. All are welcome. Harvard ID holders are encouraged to attend in person, while non-HUID guests are invited to join via livestream or access the event recording afterward.