Deaf Story Slam

Public LibraryStorytelling
Written By Pa Ja Yang
 

“Personal stories build empathy between people and communities. Storytelling serves as that bridge between cultures and building understanding.” – Kristina Gomez

Meet Kristina Gomez, the Events and Programming Coordinator at the Milwaukee Public Library (MPL) in Wisconsin, who was involved in starting a deaf storytelling project in 2018, the first of its kind in Wisconsin. Kristina’s library story can be traced back to her Mexican immigrant parents taking English as a Second Language courses at their local library in Racine, Wisconsin. After earning a degree in English literature, her interest in social work led her into the AmeriCorps Vista program and through its focus on community development, she found exciting parallels in the library field that led her to pursue a career in librarianship. And so her professional story in libraries begins.

Kristina has been with MPL for the last decade, innovating and bringing inclusive programming to their community. The library’s deaf storytelling project is one of the more recent initiatives she helped develop for deaf and hard of hearing individuals in the Greater Milwaukee Area. The initiative is funded by a grant through the National Endowment for the Arts that focuses on creative placemaking in communities. After MPL received the award, it took them approximately a year and a half of planning and meeting with deaf community advisors to build the deaf storytelling project, where the final event was a Deaf Story Slam. There were several components to the deaf storytelling project, one of them being a series of workshops specifically for deaf and hard of hearing individuals to craft their stories and ultimately share them with their community. It was an effort to empower and encourage deaf and hard of hearing individuals in the art of storytelling. MPL trained storytelling coaches to lead workshops for the deaf community, and throughout all of the workshops and coaching, they hired American Sign Language (ASL) interpreters. 

At the Deaf Story Slam, six individuals shared their stories on identity in front of a deaf and hearing audience. It was a trilingual event in English, Spanish, and ASL. The event was about raising awareness of the challenges, barriers, and aspirations that deaf and hard of hearing folks have and experience daily. The event was recorded for the local PBS station and broadcasted throughout a few markets across the United States. 

2020 was MPL’s second year hosting the Deaf Story Slam. Due to the pandemic, the event took place virtually, where its efforts and impact even reached individuals in Canada. Visit the links below to watch the recorded stories.

To learn more about the deaf storytelling project, tune into this podcast episode with Kristina Gomez. Kristina provides in-depth insight on project design and implementation along with some challenges, rewards, and advice for others interested in replicating a similar project. If you have any questions, feel free to contact Kristina Gomez at klgomez@milwaukee.gov.

 
Pa Ja Yang
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