Radical Citizen Media is an independent media outlet that visually documents the peace movement, activist community, and contemporary issues from a progressive perspective in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. The site operates with the philosophy that the best way to report on an event or issue is to present it as it happens, so that viewers can draw meanings for themselves.

Originally known as RaiseMyVoice.com, the site got started in 2005. Paula E. Kirman is the main photographer/videographer behind Radical Citizen Media. She is an Edmonton-based freelance writer, editor, photographer, filmmaker, and musician who is involved with community media as the editor of Boyle McCauley News. Paula was formerly with Our Voice Street Magazine, where she wrote the Active Observer social justice column, and is now the webmaster of Alberta Street News. One of her goals is to empower people to tell their own stories through writing and photography, engaging them in citizen journalism.

As a community organizer, Paula is involved with such initiatives as the Edmonton Coalition Against War and Racism, Project Ploughshares Edmonton, the Edmonton Social Planning Council, the Edmonton Interfaith Centre for Education and Action, and the March On Edmonton Collective – the organizers of the huge women’s marches that took place in Edmonton in 2017, 2018, and 2019.

In 2012, Paula received the Salvos Prelorentzos Peace Award. The Salvos Prelorentzos Peace Awards is an annual event organized by Project Ploughshares to honour someone in Edmonton who has contributed to the cause of peace but who has not been formally recognized for their work. She was chosen for the award for her work documenting the local activist community, and getting the community online with social media, blogs, and websites. As well, she was noted for her role as a musician at many events. Salvos Prelorentzos was a veteran of WWII who returned from battle a committed pacifist.

In 2014, Paula was named a Daughter of the Year at the annual Daughters Day celebration. Daughters Day is an event to celebrate the lives and achievements of women, while acknowledging the need to work towards an equitable society.

Paula produced a program for Shaw TV called From the Ground Up which highlighted the local activist scene from 2013-2017. In December of 2016 she received the Human Rights Champion award from the John Humphrey Centre for Peace and Human Rights, for being a pioneering media artist and community organizer. In May of 2018 she received the Edmonton Social Planning Council Award of Merit for Social Advocacy and the first MUSE Award from Edmonton Muse. In September of 2018 she was voted Best Activist by readers of the late, lamented VUE Weekly. Her song “Summer,” about homelessness, was a finalist in the 2017 International Songwriting Competition.

Most of the photos are hosted at Paula’s Flickr. Videos for most of these events can also be found at Paula’s YouTube site.

Contact Paula at wearywordsmith@gmail.com.