THE SCHOOL OF INVISIBILITY
By Charlotte Blake Alton

Introduction:

Schools are some of the most politically correct and inclusive places in America, by design. It’s easy to form an assumption without really noticing the reality surrounding you. Listen carefully as storyteller Charlotte Blake Alston recounts her experiences at a private Quaker school in a powerfully articulate and relatable manner, and tells how valuable growth can take place anywhere and with anyone. Who will be next?

Summary:

When Charlotte Blake Alston accepts a teaching position at a private Quaker school, she expects she’ll finally become part of an educational institution committed to respect and equality for all members of the school community. But true equity comes with awareness, sensitivity, and diligence. The School of Invisibility illustrates how cultural conditioning can creep into even the most “inclusive” school environment.

Classroom Reflections & Activities:

• Allow students to research Quakers to discover some basic facts about this group of people.
• Have students journal about a time when they felt left out or treated like they weren’t as good as someone else. Encourage students to not only share the experience, but to share their feelings too.
• Brainstorm with students different ways to show respect and create a sense of equality amongst students.

.

Watch the video now

.

I WANTED TO BE AN INDIAN
By Jo Radner

Introduction:

Take a moment to think about the most exciting wish you hoped would come true. Now imagine that all of those thrilling dreams were suddenly shattered by startling antics of your ancestors. Experience the heartbreak and the steps taken to move forward from these revelations in this touching story by Jo Radner.

Summary:

Stories about our ancestors help us to understand who we are. They help us to grow and become who we were meant to be. Encountering troubling revelations about her forebears and their Indian neighbors in colonial New England, Jo asks what it means to tell — and live with — her whole, complex history. Listen as this relatable and engaging true story is recounted.

Classroom Reflections & Activities:

• Provide time for students to research personal ancestral history, and allow them to share stories of their families.
• Hold a class discussion involving little known sad stories of different cultures. Encourage students to share feelings and prior knowledge of the culture.

.

Watch the video now

.

THE RESTAURANT STORY:
A FRENCH AMERICAN BECOMES MORE VISIBLE
By Michael Parent

Introduction:

Do you know how it feels to be looked at like you don’t quite measure up, like you’re not as valuable as someone else? Sure. We all know the sting of a put down, whether done with words or with body language. In this story, Michael Parent tells of such an encounter and how the people involved set the record straight.

Summary:

Storyteller Michael Parent easily sets the stage for this story by giving the listener a bit of background on Franco-Americans. He compares their invisibility as a result of trying to fit into the new country to the powerful visibility of some of America’s more recent immigrants. With the stage set, listeners can easily connect to the ignorance experienced by many immigrants. Listen and feel the empowerment!

Classroom Reflections & Activities:

• Create several scenarios of ignorance about immigrants for students to role play and respond to. Encourage empathy in the responses.
• “Myth Busters.” Generate a series of comments or beliefs about immigrants written down on notecards for students. Distribute the cards and have students work in small groups to research the comment or belief to discover if it is fact or myth. Noting the origin of the comment or belief could also be interesting.
• Have students journal about a time when they felt inadequate or not as good as someone else. Describe not only the event, but also the feelings experienced.

.

Watch the video now

.

Where are You From?
A Short Video Story
By Arif Choudhury

Introduction:

Have you ever felt different from those around you, or thought about how your life is impacted by the choices of others in this world? In this personal reflection, storyteller Arif Choudhury shares stories about growing up as the only “brown-skinned boy” in the neighborhood and how 9-11 changed how others might perceive him and his family.

Summary:

In this relatable story, Arif Choudhury shares several personal experiences as a youth when exploring his identity. Viewers easily connect with his reflections on knowing the difference between where you come from and who you are. Arif takes a journey of self discovery that not only shows what he learned about himself, but what he learned about humanity in the process.

Arif provides a thought-provoking look at how we view not only ourselves, but each other. His words offer insight to appreciate the differences in people, cultures, and religions. They help to encourage people to learn more about others. Arif challenges viewers to ask someone to tell about themselves instead of asking where they are from.

Classroom Applications:

• Play ice-breaker games
• Provide group activities that allow students to work closely with those different from themselves
• Allow time for students to share about themselves or their background
  .

Watch the video now

.

A 4th July Story – or for any time
Dignity & Pride in the Face of an Immigrant Woman

SPRING
By Jim Stowell

Introduction:

In this poignant story, Jim Stowell tells of how an immigrant woman finds her own dignity. Although experiencing many hardships, she preservers and builds a strong foundation for herself. Listen to how this all too common experience of immigrant struggles that swell into pride, joy, and dignity.

Summary:

With vivid visualizations, this is a relatable story of overcoming common struggles experienced by immigrants. Life is not the same in a new country, and it is a difficult transition at best to fit in. Storyteller Jim Stowell tells how an immigrant woman is faced with trials and hardships, and how she establishes a sense of pride and dignity for herself and her family.

Classroom Reflections & Activities:

• Ask students what dignity is, and then brainstorm examples of it or times when people show dignity. Hold a discussion on how students can help build dignity in others. Have students take turns listing these on the board.
• Show several video/movie clips that display various examples of cultural dignity and indignity. Ask students to identify which is shown in each clip. An extension activity could involve having students explain how to change the clips showing indignity into more positive examples of respect.
• Ask students to share a time when they experienced disrespect due to their cultural background or ethnicity. Encourage students to explore how it felt.

.

Watch the video now

.

Incarceration
A Short Video Story
by Anne Shimojima

Introduction:

Have you ever wondered what life would be like if the government had imprisoned your entire family? For Anne Shimojima, this was the experience of her grandparents and their children. In this touching story, Anne tells of what life was like behind the barbed wire fences and the inadequate housing. Looking past what is unspoken, Anne reveals details of life for Japanese Americans in incarceration camps during WWII.

Summary:

Curious as to her family’s experiences in incarceration camps during WWII, storyteller Anne Shimojima explains how she uncovered details to her family’s past. For whatever reason, many Japanese Americans do no talk about their experiences during this time. Anne was able to dig into her family history and speak with relatives who then shared details of what life was like in these camps.

Armed with a deeper and more personal understanding of what her grandparents had endured in the incarceration camp, Anne reveals a hidden world when she is able to describe the camp itself. She explains how she was brought closer to her grandparents and better understands the indignities they suffered, the sacrifices they made, and the hopes they had for future generations.

Classroom Applications:

• Invite grandparents of students to come to class and share a story from their life
• Explore geneology or create a family tree
• Watch videos or read literature the helps students to better understand historical events
  ..

Watch the video now

.

Evacuation
A Short Video Story
by Anne Shimojima

Introduction:

Interested in knowing what life was really like for Japanese Americans following the attack on Pearl Harbor in December 1941? Take a journey with storyteller Anne Shimojima as she tells not only her own personal family experiences of the event, but relates the difficulties faced by many Japanese Americans at the onset of WWII.

Summary:

With honest and detailed reflection, storyteller Anne Shimojima tells the personal story of the forced evacuation of her grandparents following the attack on Pearl Harbor. While setting the stage with warm recollections of who her grandfather was, she interlaces historical facts to build a foundation of awareness.

Relating hardships faced my many Japanese Americans, Shimojima explains how prejudice and discrimination resulted from unadulterated rumor and fear. She recounts the bitterness that she saw in the faces of her loved ones, and how their experiences in the forced evacuation profoundly affected her family. Listen as she brings a new understanding to a long misunderstood and overlooked aspect of American history.

Classroom Applications:

• Invite a guest speaker who experiences persecution to come to share stories with students
• Watch the short film The Wave to show students how people are easily influenced when fear and rumor are involved (film is easily found online)
• Create a set of interview questions, and have students interview an older family member or friend
  .

Watch the video now

.

Reflections on Minidoka
A Short Video Story
by Storyteller Alton Chung

Introduction:

Searching for a resource for Japanese American experiences in World War II relocation camps? Alton Chung tells the true story of his journey and encounter with an 89 year old former internee who made her first visit after 66 years. This personal and challenging story is food for thought for all of us.

Summary:

Alton Chung relates the true story of his journey to the Minidoka Relocation Camp site at Hunt, Idaho and of his encounter there with an 89 year old former internee. She was 23 years old when she left this Japanese American incarceration camp and this was her first visit back to the site after 66 years.

Touring the old camp evokes emotions and thoughts of loved ones and life at Minidoka during World War II. The internee shares personal memories of that time and how the internment affected her life. The story provides a view of relocation camps that allows us to experience the difficulties encountered and, hopefully, encourages us to think differently about others.

Classroom Applications:

• Create a webquest (an online scavenger hunt) for students to uncover information about incarceration camps
• Visit a WWII museum
• Write journal prompts for students to respond to daily
  .
  .

Watch the video now

.

Immigrant Story: a Chinese Family in the US
A Short Video Story
by Nancy Wang

Introduction:

RaceBridges pays tribute to the many Asian Americans who have helped build and enrich America. Nancy Wang paints a true life picture of her Chinese American immigrant family’s struggles and ingenuity in the Monterey, CA area. This story is a great resource for understanding the contributions of Asian American immigrants to America.

Summary:

This story follows the journey of Nance Wang’s ancestors who arrived in California on a junk boat in 1850 and the adversities encountered along the way to America. Upon arriving, Nancy’s family started the fishing industry of the Monterey Peninsula, which proved to be lucrative but not without opposition. Both legal and illegal violence ensued against them for generations.

Although America was a land of opportunity, unfair regulations and restrictions caused great difficulties for the hard-working Chinese Americans. This story reveals how a group of immigrants rallied with resilience and ingenuity so that the 7^th generation of Chinese Americans thrives today.

The unimaginable challenges faced by Nancy’s family in this true story are thought-provoking and provide insight for us to appreciate our differences as well as make changes in how we think of others. With understanding, we can feel their pain and change our world for the better.

Classroom Applications:

• Read literature written by Chinese Americans
  (see this link for some names: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_American_literature)
• Write biographies of famous Chinese Americans
• Create a cultural food tasting day, where students bring in foods from various cultures for all to taste and learn about
  .

Watch the video now

.

In recognition of the upcoming Asian-Pacific American Heritage
Month, May 2013, RaceBridges presents a true story . . .

Coming to America: Vietnamese Refugees
A Short Video Story
by Storyteller Susan O’Halloran

Introduction:

In recognition of Asian-Pacific American Heritage Month, RaceBridges presents a true story of a Vietnamese teenager who survived a dangerous and dramatic escape from his native country, and the difficulties during the journey and at a refugee camp. Sharing his immigrant story, first with Sue and later with the storytellers, made him feel that America was his home.

Summary:

A Vietnamese teenager who escaped his country and survived a danger-filled boat journey tells his true life experiences for the first time in an informal discussion with Sue while at a storytelling event honoring Vietnamese Americans. Sue recognized the healing that occurred as he shared his poignant story with her and encouraged him to speak to the other professional storytellers.

Sue recalls with great imagery the transformative power of his American immigrant story. She recounts his feeling of finally belonging to America as he expressed himself to the community of storytelling listeners. Telling our stories helps us to understand one another better, and allows us to accept and appreciate our uniqueness..

Classroom Applications:

• Write research reports on Vietnam, including maps and timelines
• Trace the path from Vietnam to the United States, and have students determine how long and modes of transportation
• Have students write a personal reflection story and share with the class
  .
  .

Watch the video now

.