Stories are at the core of who we are. They shape the way we see ourselves, and help us make meaning out of our experiences. But often, stories serve the interests of those in power. The most widely shared stories transmit the beliefs and values of socially dominant groups, marginalizing those with different experiences or ways of looking at the world. People who don't see themselves reflected in dominant cultural narratives often experience isolation, a lack of belonging, and invalidation.

What can marginalized or oppressed groups do to resist the harmful impacts of these narratives? What role can storytelling play in their efforts, and how might libraries be part of the solution?

As part of our ongoing partnership with the American Library Association, we're exploring these questions through a project (funded by the Estée Lauder Foundation) focused on system-impacted communities - that is, people that have been affected by the criminal legal system (including formerly or currently incarcerated individuals, those on probation or parole, and those who have been subject to arrest or convictions but not incarceration). As a first step, we reviewed the relevant research literature, looking to better understand what is already known about the extent to which storytelling can be a source of healing, growth, and resilience for system-impacted individuals and their communities. This blog post highlights key findings from our review (which can be read in its entirety by clicking the link above!).

The Value of Counterstories

Much of the literature we reviewed highlights the value of counterstories. Seeking to elevate the voices, experiences, and perspectives of those who are forgotten, silenced, or hold less power, counterstorytelling is a practice that can be used to refute negative stories about oppressed or marginalized groups. By developing alternative narratives that better reflect their realities, these groups can use counterstories to navigate hostile environments, heal from historical traumas, and dismantle oppressive systems.

Many have promoted counterstorytelling as a tool for rethinking and transforming the criminal legal system. First and foremost, counterstories can disrupt widespread assumptions about currently or formerly incarcerated individuals being deviant, dangerous, damaged, and "unworthy of participating in society." Instead of placing the responsibility for incarceration squarely on the shoulders of system-impacted individuals, families, and communities, counterstories can draw attention to the connection between incarceration and race, gender, and familial cycles. They can also promote both personal and community healing, and prompt widespread rethinking of "what currently confined people might contribute to a robust citizenry."

Let's Put it to Work

None of the storytelling interventions cited in the literature we reviewed took place within library settings. But counterstorytelling is already a core component of how many libraries view their work. In a recent piece, library scholars Kate McDowell and Nicole A. Cooke present a compelling vision of librarianship as "social justice storytelling," explaining that library-based storytelling programs can "help make the case for broadening services despite pervasive social inequities that make injustices invisible." This suggests that by creating storytelling programs focused on the criminal legal system, libraries can help address the needs of system-impacted individuals and communities.

Toward that end, our literature review uncovered four key steps to building effective storytelling programs with system-impacted people:

• building partnerships with groups already working with system-impacted communities
• deepening community knowledge of the criminal legal system
• empowering system-impacted people to lead
• building in self-care

Importantly, each of these practices play to libraries' existing programming strengths. By adhering to them, libraries can help create opportunities for system-impacted individuals to share their lived experiences on their terms, contributing to the production and dissemination of counterstories that help marginalized groups resist oppression and prompt a more general rethinking of the criminal legal system.

About this Article

This article is part of a collaboration with the American Library Association called Storytelling for Literacy and Community Healing: Empowering Libraries as Catalysts for Change. The project is supported by the Estée Lauder Foundation. The contents of this article reflect the findings and recommendations of the authors, and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Estée Lauder Foundation.

Photo by Antonio Molinari @ Unsplash