Stories
Stories are a major part of Coming to the Table. Sharing stories helps us connect, identify common ground and learn new things that have been entirely outside of our experiences. Sharing stories related to slavery and its aftermath helps us face the topic for all of these reasons. Coming to the Table’s approach includes facing History, making Connections, Healing wounds and taking Action. The stories that we feature on this site will address at least one of the four categories. Some may address more than one, but we are are lodging them under the heading most applicable. These are stories about how these stages are playing out in real people’s lives and how they are making a difference. At the conclusion of each of these stories, you will find related story titles that may interest you. If you would like to share your story with the possibility of having it featured on our home page, please e-mail your story to sha.jackson@emu.edu.
Story Submission Guidelines
Coming to the Table values your story. When submitting it with the possibility of having it featured on our home page, there are just a few things that we are looking for:
- A story on one of the topics:
History, Connecting, Healing or Action
- A personal and truthful account
- 500-1000 words
Due to the volume of stories we might receive, we cannot guarantee that your story will be included on the front page. You will be notified if it is.
You are encouraged to join our Community Networking site where you have the option of uploading your story there to share with other members of the Community.
featured story categories
History
Getting to the Roots of My Family Tree
Go home. Find out what happened, said the black ghost woman lying dead at the end of my bed one drizzly April evening in the ‘90s. This was the one thing I’d long dreaded the most. Still, I knew in that moment I would do whatever necessary to discover what happened come hell or high water.
A View From the Open Window
The window of opportunity has been often looked through, in this country, by those with pale skin and European heritage. David Pettee tells of his experiences finding African Americans with a shared family history, whose ancestors were on the other side of the window looking in.
Connecting
CNN-news story "When Kin of Slaves and Owners Meet"
This story, featured on today’s front page of CNN.com, tells the connecting story of our very own Betty and Phoebe.
A Growing Smoke in the Distance
Healing the legacy of slavery between Betty Kilby Baldwin and Phoebe Kilby has been an event that has hinged on the promise of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. His dream and their lives have coincided in a remarkable way and when told, in their own words, their story holds a large degree of power.
Action
Gathering the Community at Monticello
Sitting under the porch while my parents attended an annual meeting of the
Monticello Association (MA),in the late fifties, it occurred to me that my
Monticello Randolph relatives must include many, many African Americans.
Healing
The Healing Power of Storytelling
From the time we exit the womb until the time we enter the sands we begin to construct our personal narrative. In between these two points a multitude of stories are created, some are significant enough for us to remember and tell over and over again and others are just small remnants of our day to day lives.
The Healing Possibility
Betty Kilby Baldwin, an infant plaintiff in the Betty Kilby vs. Warren County board of education case, knows firsthand the need for personal healing as her family was traumatized by an incident that stemmed from the aftermath of slavery.
Coming to the Table Videos
Facing History, Making Connections, Healing Wounds and Taking Action are the stages of the Coming to the Table approach that address the legacies and aftermaths of slavery in the US as well as other historic harms. Through each of the video pieces you will see snippets of stories that speak to the possibilities that lie in each part of the approach both personally and at the community level.
