Storytelling is an important part of African American culture and this week, the last week of Black History Month, the College of Family and Consumer Sciences seeks to give students the opportunity to experience this aspect of black culture.

“Culturally, storytelling is important to our heritage,” said Lee Ann Davis, director of minority programs for the College of Family and Consumer Sciences.

The college will host a storytelling event at 11 a.m. in LeBaron Hall.

Pearl Jefferson, a middle school principal from Des Moines and great-great-granddaughter of a slave, will do the storytelling.

At the event, Davis will give a brief talk about the history of storytelling and then Jefferson will go into telling the story.

“She [Jefferson] does a very good job and enjoys doing storytelling,” Davis said.

Jefferson grew up listening to stories of her history and has been publicly storytelling for five years.

“I come from a family of oral historians by avocation – talkers – who have always shared about history. It’s just a natural thing,” Jefferson said.

The theme for the storytelling is “Black in the 60s.” Jefferson will share excerpts from the Ruby Bridges story.

“There are a lot of phenomenal things about Ruby Bridges’ story,” Jefferson said. “She was one of the first to integrate schools in New Orleans.”

“She was the only colored child at William Frantz Public School. The story emphasizes the strength of women.”

Jefferson enjoys storytelling, especially interacting with the audience and seeing their faces when they hear the information.

“It’s a powerful way of giving information,” she said. “The more the audience interacts, the more it gets me to give back more.”

During Thursday’s storytelling, Jefferson plans to have fun and include some traditional Negro spirituals that she enjoys singing.

As much as she likes telling the stories, Jefferson also enjoys hearing comments afterwards, especially from older people reminiscing about their past.

Jefferson views storytelling as an important way to keep the culture alive and as an avenue to promote understanding.

“I have a strong commitment to my own culture,” she said. “Storytelling is a way of giving back.”

“The reason we have storytellers is that for our culture, it’s had an oral history,” Davis said. “Many slaves couldn’t read or write, so they repeated stories. Oral narratives are a big part of culture for people of color, not just African-Americans but also Native Americans.”

The movie “Roots” is a good example of a story that is passed down from ancestor to ancestor, Davis added.

“Some stories are actual stories about life,” she said. “Also, old wives’ tales are stories told to children for entertainment. The storyteller takes the stories and relives them. It’s almost like a play.”

Davis believes that this storytelling event will help students gain cultural awareness and learn about different aspects of African-American life.

“Students can talk about culture and how culture enriches the lives of others,” she said. “They’ll gain knowledge of other cultures as well as storytelling.”