ONA Coalition National Gathering, June 6-10, 2016 in St. John, MN

I was invited to take place in this annual gathering, one of the presenters (name to be found and shared) invited us to create a timeline of our deeply PERSONAL life story using the following starters:

Time: 20-30 minutes

Action: write, draw, document

Consider: What is your story?

• What are the experiences your body has had with sexuality? With spirituality? With race? With ability?
• When was the first time you kissed someone?
• When did you first masturbate?
• When did you read the Bible for the first time? Take communion? Sing in the choir?
• When have you been targeted because of your race? When did race afford you privilege?
• What messages did you get about what your body could and could not do?

 

Additional Questions to Consider:

• When did you first come into the realization concerning race and how did you respond, and how do you respond today?
• What have you taught others concerning racism?
• Will you share some situations that you encountered racism within the last few years and how did you respond?

 

I am interested in redeveloping this with specific stories in mind based on intersectionality (Sexuality, Religion/Spirituality, Race/Ethnicity).

 

Suggested Readings

1. Reading and Interpreting the Timeline: http://users.rider.edu/~suler/timeline.html
2. http://www.claystaires.com/the-sticky-note-timeline-exercise/
3. http://blogs.psychcentral.com/relationships/2012/04/the-power-of-creating-a-timeline-of-your-lifes-story/
4. http://blogs.psychcentral.com/relationships/2012/08/the-timeline-of-your-life-story-probing-to-create-shift-to-life-liberating-meanings-2-of-2/