[Applause]
in the words of the incredible Oprah
Winfrey speaking your truth is the most
powerful tool that we all have the first
time that I spoke my truth that I shared
my story I was a junior in high school
believe it or not I was shy I was
nervous I was anxious and I hated
speaking in public let alone even
raising my hand to participate in class
at the time my school board of education
dealt with this by cutting the arts
programs as a dancer since the age of 5
this was the first time in my life that
I felt overwhelmingly passionate about
an issue passionate enough to speak up I
went to the Board of Education meeting
and when they called for public comments
I slowly stood up out of my seat with my
sweaty palms and my shaky voice and my
crumpled note carts and I said I have
something to say I told them how the
dance classroom was the one place during
the day where I felt whole where I felt
like myself where I felt like I could
express all of the words that I couldn’t
say on a daily basis I told them how as
a first-generation college student that
the arts were my tool for college
readiness where I learned about
creativity and critical thinking and it
kept me engaged and focused in my
classes a few weeks later I learned that
the Board of Education reinstated all of
the arts programs some of the board
members even noting my story as the one
thing that changed their mind about the
issue this is when I realized that my
voice was powerful and that it was
valuable and that people genuinely
listened to what I had to say and I
started to think about if storytelling
had this transformative power to change
the entire trajectory of my life what
could it do for the lives of others I
started a program called speaker 2
about two years ago it started as a
monthly dialogue series where I’d bring
in first-year college students and we
would have conversations ranging from
topics to voting and being an engaged
citizen to conversations around colorism
we did activities also ranging from a
human library where students could check
out faculty members staff and students
like books where they could listen to an
live oration of their story and other
activities like more than a checkbox a
photo exhibit where I trekked around
campus and took pictures of students and
asked them to answer the prompt Society
says I am blank I say I am like as an
opportunity to allow them the space to
redefine the boxes that society can
finds us in I started this program
because I worked as a first-year
residence director and I was working
with students and they would come to my
office left and right as they were
navigating this transition of being on
their own many of them for the first
time they would come to my office and
say things like my roommate and I we
just don’t get along and I don’t know
how to make this work because we have
different ideologies – I don’t feel
comfortable going to class because my
professor doesn’t honor my experience or
the experience of others like me and I
carried all of their stories with me and
I realized again that I could no longer
be silent
so why storytelling well the research
shows a plethora of reasons why
storytelling is important specifically
within the context of social justice
issues storytelling has been used across
all cultures as a means of cultural
preservation education and entertainment
you think about the rich history of
culture and the oral traditions that we
pass on from generation to generation
long before we could even express those
stories through written text we live in
stories if you’re anything like me the
first thing I do when I wake up in the
morning as I scroll through my Twitter
feed and I’m taking in stories even if
you’re trying to craft the perfect
social media caption you’re putting your
story out there to the world even in
something as simple as our daily
interactions if somebody asked how are
you you usually lead with some type of
story
and lastly stories have the power to
uphold the status quo but also the power
to change it scholar Lee Ann Bell in her
research around storytelling for social
justice she talks about stock stories
think about a stock photo where you
don’t know the background the story
behind the photo this is what happens
with stereotypes we continue to
perpetuate these same stories throughout
society as a means of upholding and
obtaining the structural and systemic
barriers that confine and constrain
marginalized groups as the saying goes
he or she who holds the pen writes
history we have to start passing the pen
to those whose voices whose stories are
not celebrated highlighted and amplified
in society now I don’t want to just
leave you with my own story or what the
research says about storytelling but I
also want to leave you with ways in
which this shows up in practice my call
to action to all of you is to critically
reflect on the question what’s my story
but more importantly how can I use that
story and genuinely listen to the
stories of others to make this a more
just and equitable Society here are a
few ways first create a space of
consciousness think about your own
internal biases in the way that might
color the way you interact with the
world for example the first time I ever
facilitated a speaker truth workshop
mind you I am still learning and I am
still growing as we all are I asked the
group a question what’s diversity and
one girl raised her hand and she said
well
this room is diverse to me and I was
taken aback because I thought to myself
this room is not diverse to me can you
explain further and so she told me the
town that she grew up in was homogenous
everyone looked the same had the same
ideologies the same religion and she
said when she came to the space and
started to have conversations with
others she realized that even amongst
the similarities that there was still so
many unique differences I now use that
story and I keep it in my back pocket as
a reflection as I’m working through
these conversations with students ii be
comfortable with the uncomfortable lean
into silence
I hate silence we all hate silence
silence encourages us to sit and reflect
about our shortcomings our fears our
strengths our weaknesses our anxieties
that’s scary human nature is to fear the
unknown for example I was facilitating
another speaker truth workshop and in
the workshop I was educating students
about again the meaning of diversity
using something fun cupcakes and so I
gave them different prompts I said if
you’re from the west coast put yellow
frosting on your cupcake if you played
sports in high school put pink frosting
on your cupcake if you’re an
international affairs major put blue
sprinkles on your cupcake and as we
continued throughout the conversation I
got more and more challenging to have
the conversation using these prompts and
the last one I said was if you’ve ever
been called a racial slur put purple
frosting on your cupcake and the room
grew silent I was uncomfortable for me
so instead of backing away from the
silence I leaned into it and I asked why
did it become silent and the students
gave me a wide variety of answers and
one student saying I never had to think
lastly challenge ideas
not individuals we are all still
learning we are still growing and it’s
so hard as individuals to separate
ourselves from our experiences our
experience shape who we are the way that
we interact with each other and the
world and it shapes our hopes and dreams
for the future for example I was
teaching a class to high school students
about social change and leadership and
as many social justice oriented classes
and conversations and dialogues do we
set ground rules and the students told
me a great one it’s called oops and ouch
when someone says something that offends
you in the context of these
conversations you say ouch recognizing
that you feel hurt and the other person
replies with oops also recognizing that
it’s hard to have these conversations
and that we have to be gentle with one
another but still hold each other
accountable because we now have the
knowledge of something as powerful as
somebody’s story in the moment that
we’ve changed someone’s mind even if
just for a split second that is where
change is made the person will think
about your story and they’ll keep it in
their back pocket and they’ll be
reminded of your face of your story of
your experience when they reach some
type of situation and they might be
moved to react or think differently
about that situation the next time we
all have truths uncovered inside each
and every one of us we think that change
has to be this large grand wide scale
sweeping occurrence but the reality is
that it’s the transformation of the mind
and the heart of one person that changes
you
[Applause] [Music]
in the words of the incredible Oprah
Winfrey speaking your truth is the most
powerful tool that we all have the first
time that I spoke my truth that I shared
my story I was a junior in high school
believe it or not I was shy I was
nervous I was anxious and I hated
speaking in public let alone even
raising my hand to participate in class
at the time my school board of education
dealt with this by cutting the arts
programs as a dancer since the age of 5
this was the first time in my life that
I felt overwhelmingly passionate about
an issue passionate enough to speak up I
went to the Board of Education meeting
and when they called for public comments
I slowly stood up out of my seat with my
sweaty palms and my shaky voice and my
crumpled note carts and I said I have
something to say I told them how the
dance classroom was the one place during
the day where I felt whole where I felt
like myself where I felt like I could
express all of the words that I couldn’t
say on a daily basis I told them how as
a first-generation college student that
the arts were my tool for college
readiness where I learned about
creativity and critical thinking and it
kept me engaged and focused in my
classes a few weeks later I learned that
the Board of Education reinstated all of
the arts programs some of the board
members even noting my story as the one
thing that changed their mind about the
issue this is when I realized that my
voice was powerful and that it was
valuable and that people genuinely
listened to what I had to say and I
started to think about if storytelling
had this transformative power to change
the entire trajectory of my life what
could it do for the lives of others I
started a program called speaker 2
about two years ago it started as a
monthly dialogue series where I’d bring
in first-year college students and we
would have conversations ranging from
topics to voting and being an engaged
citizen to conversations around colorism
we did activities also ranging from a
human library where students could check
out faculty members staff and students
like books where they could listen to an
live oration of their story and other
activities like more than a checkbox a
photo exhibit where I trekked around
campus and took pictures of students and
asked them to answer the prompt Society
says I am blank I say I am like as an
opportunity to allow them the space to
redefine the boxes that society can
finds us in I started this program
because I worked as a first-year
residence director and I was working
with students and they would come to my
office left and right as they were
navigating this transition of being on
their own many of them for the first
time they would come to my office and
say things like my roommate and I we
just don’t get along and I don’t know
how to make this work because we have
different ideologies – I don’t feel
comfortable going to class because my
professor doesn’t honor my experience or
the experience of others like me and I
carried all of their stories with me and
I realized again that I could no longer
be silent
so why storytelling well the research
shows a plethora of reasons why
storytelling is important specifically
within the context of social justice
issues storytelling has been used across
all cultures as a means of cultural
preservation education and entertainment
you think about the rich history of
culture and the oral traditions that we
pass on from generation to generation
long before we could even express those
stories through written text we live in
stories if you’re anything like me the
first thing I do when I wake up in the
morning as I scroll through my Twitter
feed and I’m taking in stories even if
you’re trying to craft the perfect
social media caption you’re putting your
story out there to the world even in
something as simple as our daily
interactions if somebody asked how are
you you usually lead with some type of
story
and lastly stories have the power to
uphold the status quo but also the power
to change it scholar Lee Ann Bell in her
research around storytelling for social
justice she talks about stock stories
think about a stock photo where you
don’t know the background the story
behind the photo this is what happens
with stereotypes we continue to
perpetuate these same stories throughout
society as a means of upholding and
obtaining the structural and systemic
barriers that confine and constrain
marginalized groups as the saying goes
he or she who holds the pen writes
history we have to start passing the pen
to those whose voices whose stories are
not celebrated highlighted and amplified
in society now I don’t want to just
leave you with my own story or what the
research says about storytelling but I
also want to leave you with ways in
which this shows up in practice my call
to action to all of you is to critically
reflect on the question what’s my story
but more importantly how can I use that
story and genuinely listen to the
stories of others to make this a more
just and equitable Society here are a
few ways first create a space of
consciousness think about your own
internal biases in the way that might
color the way you interact with the
world for example the first time I ever
facilitated a speaker truth workshop
mind you I am still learning and I am
still growing as we all are I asked the
group a question what’s diversity and
one girl raised her hand and she said
well
this room is diverse to me and I was
taken aback because I thought to myself
this room is not diverse to me can you
explain further and so she told me the
town that she grew up in was homogenous
everyone looked the same had the same
ideologies the same religion and she
said when she came to the space and
started to have conversations with
others she realized that even amongst
the similarities that there was still so
many unique differences I now use that
story and I keep it in my back pocket as
a reflection as I’m working through
these conversations with students ii be
comfortable with the uncomfortable lean
into silence
I hate silence we all hate silence
silence encourages us to sit and reflect
about our shortcomings our fears our
strengths our weaknesses our anxieties
that’s scary human nature is to fear the
unknown for example I was facilitating
another speaker truth workshop and in
the workshop I was educating students
about again the meaning of diversity
using something fun cupcakes and so I
gave them different prompts I said if
you’re from the west coast put yellow
frosting on your cupcake if you played
sports in high school put pink frosting
on your cupcake if you’re an
international affairs major put blue
sprinkles on your cupcake and as we
continued throughout the conversation I
got more and more challenging to have
the conversation using these prompts and
the last one I said was if you’ve ever
been called a racial slur put purple
frosting on your cupcake and the room
grew silent I was uncomfortable for me
so instead of backing away from the
silence I leaned into it and I asked why
did it become silent and the students
gave me a wide variety of answers and
one student saying I never had to think
lastly challenge ideas
not individuals we are all still
learning we are still growing and it’s
so hard as individuals to separate
ourselves from our experiences our
experience shape who we are the way that
we interact with each other and the
world and it shapes our hopes and dreams
for the future for example I was
teaching a class to high school students
about social change and leadership and
as many social justice oriented classes
and conversations and dialogues do we
set ground rules and the students told
me a great one it’s called oops and ouch
when someone says something that offends
you in the context of these
conversations you say ouch recognizing
that you feel hurt and the other person
replies with oops also recognizing that
it’s hard to have these conversations
and that we have to be gentle with one
another but still hold each other
accountable because we now have the
knowledge of something as powerful as
somebody’s story in the moment that
we’ve changed someone’s mind even if
just for a split second that is where
change is made the person will think
about your story and they’ll keep it in
their back pocket and they’ll be
reminded of your face of your story of
your experience when they reach some
type of situation and they might be
moved to react or think differently
about that situation the next time we
all have truths uncovered inside each
and every one of us we think that change
has to be this large grand wide scale
sweeping occurrence but the reality is
that it’s the transformation of the mind
and the heart of one person that changes
you
[Applause] [Music]
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