ABSTRACT
In traditional African societies, the griot was an oral historian and educator. Griots were charged with maintaining the cultural links between the past and present, sharing ancestral wisdom with current generations. As a result of political and structural realities in the United States, many Black women are not being exposed to folklore, myths, legends, familial, and communal stories that would provide them a more nuanced understanding of interpersonal and social determinants of health. There are many challenges to devoting ones life to using storytelling as a strategy for promoting the liberation of Black women in academic settings. Self-liberation is a prerequisite for assisting others to become liberated. Black women represent the largest group among the students and faculty in the nursing program. Many are scarred as a result of trying to survive as colonized people and quite a few have huge deficits when evaluated by traditional academic standards.
