By Derrick Brown (follow on Twitter @dbrowndbrown)
Dear Hannah,
I am a "Standup Storyteller".
I am comfortable standing up and speaking my truth.
Here's today's truth - history is no mystery.
It is much more than memorizing names, dates, and quotes that align with a standard curriculum.
It is the story of the people, places, artifacts, and ideas of the past.
The stories help us see patterns and connections that inform, explain and inspire our present and future.
We are weary of MLK quotes and photographs.
I am wary about our weary.
Our weary will marginalize his message and mission faster than cliche' quotes and photographs.
So do not grow weary in your doing.
Make sure you are doing your doing *well*.
If you are not, then do better.
What does my "do better" look like?
Well, I have moved on to what I call "MLK 2.0".
I am now studying the people he talked to, respected, and connected with ... and the people to whom these people connect.
It has been fascinating thus far, and I can't wait to share.
Let's go.
[START SHOW]
MLK's letter writing practice was strategic.
It probably helped him remember who he was meeting, who they were, and what their encounters and meetings produced.
These letters were probably his KnowledgeBase, and helped him to make moves.
Selah.
Love,
Daddy
By Derrick Brown
1-26-2021
Dear Hannah,
I am a "Standup Storyteller".
I am comfortable standing up and speaking my truth.
Here's today's truth - history is no mystery.
It is much more than memorizing names, dates, and quotes that align with a standard curriculum.
It is the story of the people, places, artifacts, and ideas of the past.
The stories help us see patterns and connections that inform, explain and inspire our present and future.
We are weary of MLK quotes and photographs.
I am wary about our weary.
Our weary will marginalize his message and mission faster than cliche' quotes and photographs.
So do not grow weary in your doing.
Make sure you are doing your doing *well*.
If you are not, then do better.
What does my "do better" look like?
Well, I have moved on to what I call "MLK 2.0".
I am now studying the people he talked to, respected, and connected with ... and the people to whom these people connect.
It has been fascinating thus far, and I can't wait to share.
Let's go.
[START SHOW]
MLK's letter writing practice was strategic.
It probably helped him remember who he was meeting, who they were, and what their encounters and meetings produced.
These letters were probably his KnowledgeBase, and helped him to make moves.
Selah.
I am a “standup storyteller.”
I fuse rap, spoken word (poetry), oration (traditional public speaking), singing, and teaching into messages of hope, healing, and change that I write, direct, and produce to help people who help people.
Everything must change - and stay changED.
Tradition begins and ends with change.
Change begins with me and the renewing of my mind ... then continues through efforts to effect small-group discipleship (equipping others to equip others) with audiences that respect and embrace mentoring, mediation, and problem solving as tools of change.
I am the product of my mentoring relationships, peacemaking (and peacekeeping), and problem-solving ability.
My education began when I finished school.
After school, I enrolled in a lifelong curriculum that includes classes in ministry, entrepreneurship, stewardship, literacy, numeracy, language, self-identity, self-expression, and analysis / synthesis.
My projects execute a ministry that has evolved from wisdom earned through lessons learned.
I want to share this wisdom to build teams of "triple threat" fellows - mentors, mediators, and problem solvers.
We will collaborate in simple, powerful ways that allow us to help people who help people.
I now know that power is work done efficiently (with wise and skillful use of resources, interests, communication, and expertise).