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Ex Fabula: Black Her Story Month

Storyteller Vera Ford

February has been quite the month. The headlines and heartbreak can be overwhelming. Sometimes the best thing to do is to listen. When we listen to other people’s stories we learn, mourn and heal. On March 7th we’ll have a whole new set of stories at our March StorySlam, “Karma.” However “Karma” has shown up in your life (or if you’re still waiting for it) we’re looking forward to a night of entertaining stories and a few life lessons.

As February comes to a close so does National Black History Month. While 28 days isn’t nearly enough time to study and celebrate that which is black history in the United States, this week we’re sharing stories from two women who are doing the work of making and preserving black history for themselves.

Kantara Souffrant doesn’t remember when she began feeling like a sub-character in human history or if it was always there. She knew that when she watched television, looked at magazines and read books, no one looked like her or told her story. Then one day, when she was 10 years old and watching Oprah Winfrey in the kitchen with her mother, she saw a panel of guests who were various shades of brown and black—people who looked like her—descendants of Sally Hemings and Thomas Jefferson. Listen to learn how one woman’s history changed a little girl’s future.

Speaking of history, as one of the first females to join the Milwaukee Job Corps, Vera Ford has made some history of her own. Now serving as the Community Liaison for the Milwaukee Job Corp Center, Vera finds herself surprised by the changes in the communities she’s working in. From pickle farms to first-rate facilities, concrete jungles to urban farms, times have changed. Though she could retire, listen to what keeps Vera inspired: