 Graphic image photo by Jeff Tinsley. As the United States approaches its 250th anniversary, a longtime friend and partner, the Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage (SCFCH), is taking one of its most beloved public traditions, the Smithsonian Folklife Festival, on the road. Through Of the People: The Smithsonian Festival of Festivals, this national initiative is traveling beyond Washington, D.C., into communities across the country and U.S. territories, joining local festivals and gatherings that already serve as vibrant spaces of culture, exchange, and belonging.
This effort recognizes something I have long believed in my own work as a storyteller, folklorist, and peacebuilder, that festivals are more than celebrations, they are places where culture is lived and can be shared. They are spaces where people come together to listen, to witness, and to imagine what is possible together. Across the months between March and November, the Festival of Festivals will collaborate with gatherings of all sizes, from community music festivals to neighborhood celebrations, amplifying the stories, and traditions that continue to shape civic life in America. For much of my life, I have worked at the intersections of storytelling, cultural practice, and community dialogue. I have seen how the artistry of communal storytelling can support the exchange of stories between people of different walks of life, especially those whose experiences have often been marginalized or pushed to the edges of public conversation. When people gather to tell stories, across differences of background, belief, language, or lived experience, they create space for empathy, invite reflection, help people see one another as neighbors with histories, values, hopes and dreams. At its heart, storytelling is about the desire to feel love and to love, to feel belonging and acceptance. It helps reveal the essence of our humanity, while holding incredible possibilities to address real-world issues. Through intentional storytelling practices, I believe, we can begin to make these truths visible. Inviting communities to reclaim their own truths, dignity, and voice, on their own terms. If a story holds truth and meaning for the teller, then it deserves to be heard. As such, I am honored to contribute to this project this year, through my Storytelling: Gift of Hope methods and facilitation, offering particular support to the Of the People initiative through a storytelling & listening project titled “We Hold These Truths.” This initiative will create pop-up spaces for people to reflect on the ideals of freedom, dignity, service, and belonging that have shaped this nation and what feels important to discuss personally and collectively, from people of many backgrounds. While also honoring the struggles and aspirations that continue to define our collective story. These stories are more than commemorations of the past; while that is important, they will also become invitations to shape future ideals, hopes, aspirations, and, of course, stories, that we become and lean into as a nation. I am excited to share reflections on this year-long project as it unfolds. I’m also more than excited that this project will form a living Smithsonian Folklife archive for future generations, of what it means to carry hope across communities, one story shared at a time. Kudos to my friend and colleague, Dr. David O. Fakunle, a professor at Morgan State University, for first conceptualizing this idea. David, I, and colleagues from SCFCH will be hitting the road very soon- look out for us at a collaborating festival near you! learn more here Sign Up to Storytelling: Gift of Hope Newsletters & Blogs |