The histories we learn and the stories we tell – of our country, of our community, of ourselves – are situated within the struggles for social justice, civil rights, and human dignity. Though stories have been used to disparage and perpetuate harm, stories can also be used to humanize, theorize, and resist. When we critically engage with history and center the stories of peoples and groups on the margins, we not only counter erasure, but also pave paths toward justice. As such, stories are a source of power.

Moderated by a third-generation storyteller, education scholars will come together to discuss how they have integrated critical history and storytelling into their scholarship, teaching, and community engagement. We look forward to gathering for an enriching event that we hope will inspire and inform others’ efforts to learn from and with communities to advance justice-driven educational research.

This event is part of the CREATE (Community-based Research on Equity, Activism, & Transformative Education) Center’s Community Engaged Speaker Series and is co-sponsored by the National Center for Institutional Diversity and the Ginsberg Center for Community Service and Learning at the University of Michigan.

Moderator

Elizabeth James, Program Associate for the Department of Afroamerican and African Studies at the University of Michigan & Third-Generation Storyteller

Panelists

Sirrita Darby, Co-Founder and Executive Director of Detroit Heals Detroit

Jamon Jordan, Detroit City Historian & Founder of the Black Scroll Network

Tonya Kneff-Chang, Postdoctoral Researcher at the Center for Community-based Research on Equity, Activism, & Transformational Education