The Storytelling Project: A Model for Teaching About Race and Racism Through Storytelling and the Arts

Stories are powerful vehicles for addressing race and racism, says Barnard Professor of Education Lee Anne Bell. In conjunction with a diverse team of artists, teachers, university faculty and students, she has developed a unique educational model that uses storytelling to help high school students understand and deal effectively with race issues. From the group’s rigorous analysis of literature, critical race theory, and narrative, the framework for an exciting new curriculum emerged. On Wednesday, September 26, Professor Bell discusses the team’s process, key issues that emerged over the course of their collaboration, and what we can learn about using the arts to teach challenging social content in public school classrooms.

Lee Anne Bell is Director of the Education Program at Barnard and co-editor/author of Teaching for Diversity and Social Justice. Her research includes “Sincere Fictions: The Pedagogical Challenges of Preparing White Teachers for Multicultural Classrooms” in Equity and Excellence in Education, and “Telling Tales: What Stories Can Teach Us about Racism” in Race, Ethnicity and Education. Her book series, Teaching/Learning Social Justice, publishes books that link theory and practice in addressing issues of social equity and justice through education.