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WEEK 1: SITTING BY THE TREE DISCUSSES THE EARLY TRADITION OF STORYTELLING BY VISITING OUR ANCESTORS. WHAT WAS THE PURPOSE OF TELLING OUR STORIES? FROM THE TIME OUR ANCESTORS WERE ON THE AFRICAN CONTINENT TO HOW WE COMMUNICATE THE PAIN AND TRAUMA OF THE TRANSATLANTIC SLAVE TRADE, TELLING STORIES HELPS US TO PROCESS REALITY. WHAT ARE YOUR STORIES??? WEEK 2: THE METHOD OF COMMUNICATION THERE ARE SO MANY WAYS TO COMMUNICATE, SO MANY WAYS TO TELL OUR STORIES, AND OUR ANCESTORS USED EVERY AVAILABLE TOOL TO COMMUNICATE A REALITY THAT WAS RICH AND COMPLEX. THEY USED THEIR VOICES BY SPEAKING OR SINGING, CHANTING OR DANCING! THEY PUT THEIR STORIES IN THEIR ART WHETHER IT WAS PAINTING OR QUILTING. OUR ANCESTORS EVEN COMMUNICATED DIFFERENT ROUTES TO FREEDOM THROUGH THEIR HAIRSTYLES! HOW DO YOU TELL YOUR STORIES?? WEEK 3: LET’S GO TO CHURCH! ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT GATHERING SPACES FOR AFRICAN AMERICANS WAS CHURCH. THE PULPIT WAS A POWERFUL SPACE TO COMMUNICATE OUR STORIES IN THE CONTEXT OF RELIGION. AND, INDEED, THE CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT BEGAN AND WAS PERPETUATED IN THE AFRICAN AMERICAN CHURCH! FROM THE PULPIT, THE REALITY OF THE BLACK AMERICAN GAINED NATIONAL RECOGNITION FROM MARTIN LUTHER KING JR. AND EVEN MALCOLM X THROUGH THE NATION OF ISLAM. RELIGION HAS BEEN AN IMPORTANT MECHANISM THROUGH WHICH WE TELL OUR STORIES. WEEK 4: LET’S TELL OUR STORIES ~ SHARE A STORY THAT YOU MAY HAVE EXPERIENCED OR HEARD…..