Janice “Jawara” Bishop

Jawara uses storytelling as a powerful tool to inform, entertain, and educate. She first learned the craft from her grandfather and now uses it as a method of informally introducing sensitive subjects; storytelling has become a means of survival for Jawara. The eldest of nine children and an educator for over 40 years, she used storytelling to help raise her siblings, as well as integrating the practice into her teaching curriculum. In 1987, Jawara took storytelling to another level by co-founding Keepers of the Culture (KOTC), a Philadelphia-based Afro-centric storytelling group. She also founded a creative arts youth group called Just Us Cousins.  In 1993, she traveled to the Sea Islands off the coast of South Carolina, to research her Gullah/Geechee ancestry. From this trip, she created The Children of the Bermuda Triangle. In 1995, Jawara co-facilitated Caught Between Two Worlds a three-year program for students promoting racial harmony. She has also written eight original short stories; three of which, The Crumb Snatchers, Pinky’s Daughter, and The Gatorburger Story, have been published. Jawara’s mission for her cultural workshops for youth and families is to strengthen self-awareness and preserve family rituals stemming from African traditions.