“As always, we give praise to our founding members, we give honor to our beloved members who have made transition, and we give thanks to our current members who continue to push the mission of KOTC forward”.

~In gratitude, Momma Sandi

Keepers Of The Culture (KOTC), Philadelphia’s Afrocentric Storytelling Group, continues its mission to inform, educate, enrich and restore storytelling to its traditional place of importance in the African-American community. We have maintainedour commitment to partner with community organizations to use storytelling as a vehicle to inform, empower and mobilize Black communities in Philadelphia and its surrounding areas.

In 2015, KOTC has remained steadfast in its commitment to using storytelling as an advocacy tool for community empowerment. This year we:

  1. Celebrated our founding member, Sis. Dr. CarolieseFrink Reed who received her PhD from Temple University. Dr. Reed is now a “sanctified” authority on Blackstorytelling.
  2. Partnered with Scribe Video Center, under the Arts on Air grant made possible by PNC Bank, to produce sixradio podcasts around the theme “Community Folk Heroes”. Our staged interviews and storytelling performances were designed to emphasize the importance of creating “Folk Hero” stories about notable Philadelphia community members. This collaboration gave KOTC an opportunity to become cultural historians, perpetuate the art of storytelling , and to take the reins in educating our community on how to identify, name and create stories about those who make a positive difference in our communities. Additionally, KOTC members had an opportunity to develop skills in radio production.
  3. Continued our partnership with the Free Library of Philadelphia with its annual Sundays on Stage program. This year we featured two of our youth program participants. Also featured were Dr. CarolieseFrink Reed, Queen Nur, Wanda Gigetts and Brother Nashid Ali. TAHIRA hosted the program. Our theme for this year was“Community Folk Heroes”.
  4. Conducted an eight-week youth development program designed to teach the African oral storytelling tradition for youth 8 to18yearsof age. Our program focused on basic creative writing, story crafting and oral performance techniques used by professional storytellers. The foundation of the program was based on the culture and aesthetics of Blackstorytelling. Our youth were featured at the Sundays on Stage performance at the Free Library of Philadelphia and will present at our KWANZAA open house.
  5. Hosted our signature “Evenings of Love Stories and Poems” program during the month of February. This year we conducted a weekly Friday evening concert celebrating three key aspects of love; Relationship Love, Family Love and Philly Cultural Love.
  6. Partnered with the brothers of KAPPA ALPHA PSI to produce a community KWANZAA event in celebration of Imani. KOTC facilitated the history and ritual celebration of KWANZAA, featured Nashid Ali as storyteller, and conducted make- and- take it workshops for attendees led by Jawara Bishop and Irma Gardner-Hammond.
  7. Supported our member, Irma “Storytelling Irma” Gardner-Hammond, as she experienced the lost of her husband Earl, who made transition this year. Drawing on the wisdom of the stories that have been passed down to us, we know that his spirit still lingers to hear the stories Irma will continued to tell.
  8. Look forward to welcoming our NABS family to our city of brotherly love and sisterly affection as we gear-up to host the 34th Annual “In The Tradition…” National Festival and Conference. Our theme “The Way We Tell It, Is The Way It Is!” is reflective of the major contributions that African Americans made to the development of Philadelphia’s rich cultural heritage.

Respectfully submitted,

Saundra Gilliard, President

Keepers Of The Culture