“If you’re not telling your own stories, someone else is telling them for you.” — Danielle Brown, Ph.D.
Founded in 2014, My People Tell Stories (MPTS) is the brainchild of author, multidisciplinary artist, ethnomusicologist, and entrepreneur, Danielle Brown, Ph.D. A hub for Brown’s creative and scholarly works, My People Tell Stories was started based on the premise that people of color in particular, and marginalized people in general, need to tell and interpret their own stories. In the ensuing years, MPTS has focused primarily on using the arts to promote cultural competency, social justice, and global healing. Our mission is to validate indigenous modes of knowledge in academic and public spaces via print media, community arts programming, professional development for educators, and curated travel tours. We seek to validate, educate, empower, and heal the global community by encouraging individuals and communities to share their unique narratives, tell their own stories, and celebrate the diversity of human experiences. Whether through words, music, dance, or any other medium, we believe the arts tell stories that have the potential to bring people together.
Continue reading to learn more about our products and services.
Our products.
BOOKS. East of Flatbush, North of Love: An Ethnography of Home is an ethnographic memoir that examines life growing up in the West Indian enclave of East Flatbush, Brooklyn. Much of the book centers around music, and it pays homage to a borough that is quickly changing under the specter of gentrification. Author and former Syracuse University professor Danielle Brown uses music to teach the reader about life in this immigrant community, as well as in her parents' native Trinidad. Recalling the songs of her youth, especially the ones that her mother would sing to her, Brown employs music—from calypso to hip hop—as an educational tool to teach history and to illuminate how the legacy of colonialism and imperialism continues to impact people of color today. The companion East of Flatbush, North of Love: Teacher Guidebook provides tools and strategies for using the book in a classroom setting.
MUSIC: A free supplementary resource containing the songs mentioned in the book can be found on the East of Flatbush Playlist on Spotify and YouTube.
“Brown is the consummate griot…”
—Glenville Ashby, Jamaica Gleaner
“So, to go along with my early, ‘Wow!,’ of approval, let me add this: If you are part of the Caribbean diaspora you should read this book. If you are part of the Trinidad and Tobago diaspora you have to read this book. Everyone else is invited.”
— Jeff Hercules, Big Drum Nation
Our services.
From workshops and performances to travel tours, My People Tell Stories offers an array of services for educators, creatives, and culture enthusiasts. See below for a sample listing of our services. Contact us for bookings or inquiries.
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Travel with Purpose
We launched our travel services in February 2020 with an educational and cultural tour of Havana, Cuba. Then the pandemic hit! After being on hiatus for some time, we relaunched our travel services in November 2023 with a tour of Panama. Join our email list to stay informed about upcoming travel tours. Contact us to inquire about custom tours for your group or organization.
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Speaking Engagements & Residencies
We offer a wide variety of speaking engagements, as well as teaching and artist residencies. Residencies may take place anywhere from 2 days to a semester. They can include a combination of keynote presentations, performances, classroom visits, custom workshops, and more. Contact us to book a speaking engagement or residency at your institution.
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Caribbean Music Pedagogy Workshop
Our signature workshop—the Caribbean Music Pedagogy Workshop—is hosted during select summers and is open to the public. Click on the link above or contact us for more information.