New Narratives: What role do stories play in undoing racism and advancing justice?
Stories hold tremendous power in our world, work, and lives. As writer Chimamanda Adichie has said: “Stories have been used to dispossess and to malign. But stories can also be used to empower, and to humanize. Stories can break the dignity of a people. But stories can also repair that broken dignity.” We encourage you to watch (or rewatch) the first five minutes of Adichie’s talk “The Danger of the Single Story,” and to note your reactions and reflections. What single stories have you held or heard in your food systems work/volunteerism/studies?
At Food Solutions New England, we have benefitted from the work of The Storytelling Project, which identifies different kinds of stories that have been told to advance or prevent justice: stock stories (maintain the unjust status quo), concealed stories (accounts of those who are marginalized and oppressed), resistance stories (stories of anti-racist struggles which also have lessons about resilience), and counter-stories (ways to interrupt the status quo and create transformational alternatives). For more about these different kinds of stories, see pages 7-9 of The Storytelling Curriculum.
Reflect on the stories that circulate in your work, studies or community life related to food and food systems. Who and what do these stories promote and privilege? Are they advancing justice? Are they uplifting those who are marginalized? Are they inspiring new possibilities for equity and liberation?
Extra: Take time to reflect on these same questions about the stories that you have been told, tell, and re-tell. More great resources are available from the recent Racism Issue of the Journal of the Communications Network.
First i had not heard the TED talk on danger of a single story before. I am aware at some level about single stories and stereotypes: I used to teach about single stories and stereotypes in my gerontology courses though did not use the language single story, so powerful a concept. I learned about stereotypes as a white nursing student in Chicago and Montana many years ago. But I had not framed my thinking around the concept of the single story; the single story is something I ‘know’ but do not think about, am not cognizant of its implications on a day to day basis for me, for my children, my grandchildren, across all cultures. Thus the single story continues because we do not stop to question, to be aware, to acknowledge when we read or hear the news ‘stories’, But we will never know all the stories, we can only be open to the ones we hear knowing there are many we don’t hear and that are even ‘kept from us’; so as individuals, members of our communities, as teachers, as parents and grandparents we must listen to all stories, especially the individual’s story. We must continue to ask ourselves are we truly listening to different stories beyond the ‘single story”.
Thank you for this project; there are so many pearls that are known to me when I am re-exposed to them and realize I have lost contact with them; the project also generates new insights new moments of Oh my gosh, that is what that meant or that is a different perspective of my past experiences thus creating new awareness and new opportunities to help me, my children, my grandchildren.
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Thank you for the reflections and your ongoing participation! I find that reminding myself, with considerable humility, that there are so many stories I don’t know, can help to slow me down and make different choices, or at least to challenge my assumptions.
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We are grateful for your participation in this year’s Racial Equity Challenge. Thank you for opening heart and mind for “multiple stories” and for sharing various perspectives with your children and grandchildren.
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