ABSTRACT
This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book presents a conceptual and pedagogical model for teaching about race and racism through examining the kinds of stories we tell and for developing alternative stories that account for history, power, and systemic normalizing patterns that justify inequality. It illustrates the power of the Storytelling Model to challenge complacency about racism and other forms of injustice in a pre-service teacher education program and shows the value of the story types for helping teachers think critically and create coherence across curriculum. The book describes how she uses the model in a yearly summer Civil Rights Institute in Arkansas, where participants examine concealed stories in local history including those of Japanese internment and resistance as they visit the site of a former relocation camp. It provides a definition of stock stories and discuss how they function to protect and reinforce the racial status quo.
