This week, we’re celebrating the success of our first Season of Fellows. In Fall 2015, Ex Fabula kicked off the first Fellowship, which brought together a diverse cohort of community members who worked with Ex Fabula Storytelling Coaches to identify, craft and share stories about privilege and oppression. The Fellows then shared the stories at interactive outreach performances that allowed Milwaukeeans to listen to and reflect upon the stories. We hope to have another cohort of Fellows in Fall 2016.
This past February, Ex Fabula Fellow Dave Stockton shared a story of privilege, oppression and airport detainment. Years ago Dave was returning to Milwaukee after visiting his family in England. Recently married and still waiting for his Green Card to arrive by mail, Dave was stuck in the “non-American” line through customs. Without explanation Dave was pulled from the line and taken to a back room where he was ordered to sit and be quiet. Seated with him were various other “foreigners” of darkening skin tones. Without the freedom to leave, to demand an answer, to make a phone call, Dave began to feel like a prisoner. A prisoner in a country that he now called home. After some time, Dave was sent on his way. It was only after he returned to the safety of his own apartment and the arms of his wife, that he began to reexamine what he had experienced, realizing that though he felt oppressed during the ordeal, it was a moment of “oppression seeped in privilege” because after only an hour or so, Dave was “free to go.” Meanwhile, those others remained in that back room, still without power and with no idea of when, or even if, they too might be released to return to the safety of their own homes, here in America.
Nakia Hood is no stranger to the Ex Fabula stage and we were happy to have his voice join us as one of our first Ex Fabula Fellows. In February, we were welcomed to Bayshore Lutheran Church for Welcome to Whitefish Bay: A Listening Session on Race and Community. Nakia’s story took place on a Saturday afternoon after moving some furniture from a home in Whitefish Bay. As he was moving, he crossed paths with two white women on the street. Being from the South he waved and said, “Hello.” The women seemed startled and stopped walking. He waved again as he got in his truck with the furniture and drove away. Soon after, he found himself surrounded by multiple squad cars with guns drawn. Scratching his head, he wasn’t sure whom they were pointing the guns at. Several years later, Nakia decided to begin training for a half marathon. Night runs are the option for training. With the former encounter still burned in his brain, Nakia also worried what might happen to him while running at night. He went to extreme and humorous measures to make sure he was brightly lit and non-threatening. Again, he happened to cross paths with a woman leaving a local box store. Again, Nakia waved and greeted her. Again, she wrapped her arms tightly around her packages and ran to her car.
Stayed tuned in the weeks to come. We’ll have more stories from our Season of Fellows and many more summer fun.
