Story District – in partnership with District of Columbia Public Schools’ (DCPS) Empowering Male Educators of Color Initiative – is facilitating a Storytelling 101 course for educators that will culminate in a DC Public School Teachers Showcase on Juneteenth.

As part of Story District’s ongoing commitment to elevating stories from the Black community, they’ve partnered with groups like DCPS’ Empowering Males of Color Iniatitve and the United Negro College Fund (UNCF). Together, they’ve begun to imagine activities and shows that would lift up and celebrate a wide variety of stories from the Black community, starting with a focus on education.

“Providing a platform where members of the Black community can share stories that challenge the single narrative these storytellers are often reduced to, is a privilege and remains our commitment to these communities,” says Nichole Hill, Story District Director of Strategic Partnerships and Development.

“We hope that male educators of color who participate in the storytelling course can explore how they were influenced to pursue their passion within education and can use this experience to spark passions in the next generation of educators,” says Javi Rodriguez, Coordinator of DCPS’ Empowering Males of Color Initiative.

Story District teacher and host of the showcase, Scott C. Hollingsworth says, “When I was first asked to teach a class of Black male teachers and host a Juneteenth Story Showcase, I was hyped. I relish any opportunity to sit down to speak with and create with other black men. Additionally, Juneteenth is such an important part of America’s history. It deserves to be spotlighted and celebrated by all.”

Family, friends, and the broader community are invited to watch these stories. A portion of the proceeds will go towards supporting the United Negro College Fund (UNCF), an organization founded in 1944 to help more Black students attend and graduate from college.

When:           Friday, June 19, 7:30pm – 9pm EST

Where:          Youtube Live Stream

Cost:             Pay-What-You-Can

  Portion of proceeds will be donated to UNCF

Ticket link:  https://bit.ly/June19RSVP

Promo/Press:   Google Drive

About Story District’s Partners:

Male Educators of Color Collaborative (MEOCC) is a source of fellowship and professional development for male teachers of color, a valuable yet underrepresented group of educators, under the umbrella of EMOC at DCPS. EMOC is the DC Public Schools’ Empowering Males of Color initiative that seeks to improve academic outcomes for African American & Latino males.

United Negro College Fund (UNCF): UNCF’s mission is to build a robust and nationally-recognized pipeline of under-represented students who, because of UNCF support, become highly-qualified college graduates and to ensure that their network of member institutions is a respected model of best practice in moving students to and through college. UNCF provides member colleges and universities with a range of support that enables them to keep their academic programs strong and their tuition affordable. As a result of this support, member institutions educate more than 60,000 students each year and have produced more than 450,000 graduates with the help of UNCF.

About Story District: Story District has been entertaining audiences in Washington, DC since 1997. In that span of time, Story District has mastered the art of turning good, true stories into great performances at the Washington area’s finest concert venues including a monthly show at the Black Cat Club, Lincoln Theatre, 9:30 Club, Atlas Performing Arts Center, Sixth & I, DC Improv, Union Stage and more. More at storydistrict.org.