JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. (Jan. 31, 2022) – The East Tennessee State University Storytelling Program is proud to present internationally-acclaimed storyteller Charlotte Blake Alston for two evenings of solo performance on Feb. 8 and 10 at 8 p.m. in the Mathes Recital Hall in Mathes Hall on the ETSU main campus. Each evening will feature a talkback – a time for the audience to engage with Alston. Both events are free and open to the public.
“Six-Triple-Eight” is the story of the African American 6888th Battalion of the Women’s
Army Auxiliary Corps in World War II – the first female battalion deployed overseas.
In 1943, the United States established the Women’s Army Auxiliary Corps. By the end
of the war, more than 140,000 women had enlisted, including thousands of Americans
of African, Japanese, Latino and Native ancestry. The stories of their contributions
largely go unacknowledged and untold, organizers noted.
One such story is of the challenges endured, obstacles overcome and major successes
achieved by the women of the African American 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion.
Commanded by major Charity Adams, scholar and educator in civilian life, the women
of the “Six Triple-Eight” defied racial stereotypes and low expectations to establish
a system of communication critical to the morale of soldiers on the battlefield, organizers
said.
“EHSOTI Standing on Tradition” is a weaving of traditional African and African American
stories with Alston’s own experiences growing up in the segregated 1950s. Long before
the written word of history, organizers said, traditions and cultural values of African
people were passed down orally. When Africans were brought to the Americas, the storytelling
tradition continued, organizers said, and these traditional tales and songs are the
foundation on which many of today’s African American storytellers stand.
Alston grew up in the segregated 1950s in a family, neighborhood and church community
that valued, maintained and celebrated their unique traditions and legacies. While
her community was maligned from the outside, she was “spoon-fed its cultural riches
from the inside. This backdrop, enhanced by a special relationship between father
and daughter, became the soil that produced the storyteller she eventually became,”
organizers said.
Alston is an acclaimed storyteller, narrator and librettist. She has performed in
venues throughout the U.S. and abroad including the Smithsonian Institute and the
John F. Kennedy Center. She has been featured at storytelling festivals including
the National Storytelling Festival, the Timpanogos Festival and festivals in Europe
and Africa. She is often a featured narrator for symphony orchestras around the country
and in 2020 she was named The Official Storyteller, Narrator and Host of the Philadelphia
Orchestra. Learn more about her at charlotteblakealston.com/.
For more information, contact Nancy Donoval, ETSU Storytelling program coordinator,
at donoval@etsu.edu or 612-889-4043. This residency is made possible by funds provided by the Mary B. Martin School of the Arts and the Department of Communication & Performance.