The Whole Story is a platform for black stories that celebrates the nuances of our humanity through personal stories told from the Black perspective. Tellers work with curator and story coach, Rachel Egboro, to craft their stories for a live audience. To date 61 storytellers have shared personal stories across twelve shows (parts). During COVID-19, The Whole Story has transitioned to a live stream format beginning with “Hey Mama” in May. Subscribe to our newsletter for information about upcoming events.
Coming up on The Whole Story…
The Whole Story returns to Phoenix Art Museum on Friday, March 4, 2022 for "HAVE IT YOUR WAY" a storytelling show about the choices Black women make, the choices made for them and the impact of those decisions on all of us. Stories start at 7:00 PM. Tickets are free.
featured storytellers
Rachel Eseoghene Egboro
Rachel Eseoghene Egboro is a Nigerian-American, Arizona native, storyteller and founder of The Whole Story, a platform for Black people and their stories. Fueled by her curiosity for people and their journeys, Rachel launched The Whole Story in 2017 as racial tensions continued to rise in the United States. She recently moved to New York where she enjoys exploring the five boroughs and riding express trains.
Melissa Dunmore
Melissa Dunmore is a guardian of diasporic narratives and matriarch-in-training. She is a spoken word artist, author, and intersectional scholar of social justice. Originally from Brooklyn, New York with roots in rural Puerto Rico, she transplanted to the Arizona desert more than fifteen years ago. She identifies as Black and Boricua and loves gardening, tea, live music, and play.
Candice Tolliver
Candice embodies leadership inside and outside of the classroom. She utilizes her skillset to curate learning environments that cultivate confidence and excellence in her students, and as an education advocate, she educates, equips, and enables individuals to be change agents within the education system. When Candice is not immersed in her role as an education professional, you can find her hiking, cozying up with a book, or learning something new. The Phoenix native resides in the city with her son and their golden retriever as a middle school English Language Arts teacher and education professor.
Leah Marché
Leah Marché is a Phoenix native and longtime advocate and participant within the arts and culture landscape of the Valley. Listed among Phoenix New Times' 100 Creatives, her work has been featured on several Valley stages. Creative ventures/initiatives Leah has co-founded or founded include: BlackPoet Ventures; L!VE POET!C; Black Horizons Festival; and BlackPoetryDay.com/BlackPoetry365. The music lover co-produces the JAZZmeetsPOETRY series at The Nash Jazz Club, hosts a weekly show on Radio Phoenix and is an artist on VOX DJs. The alumna of ASU’s School of Journalism is a board member of Roosevelt Row Community Development Corporation. Currently, she serves as a team member with Valley Leadership's Impact Maker and among the inaugural cohort of the Google News Initiative Startups Lab Boot Camp.
Elaissia Sears
Judge Elaissia Sears took office in January 2019 as Justice of the Peace for the West Mesa Justice Court. A graduate of Arizona State University, Judge Sears holds a B.A. in Global Studies, a minor in German, and certificates in Political Entrepreneurship, Women and Gender Studies, and International Relations. She believes creating equitable solutions within our court systems and fostering a positive relationship with the community. In her spare time, you can find her traveling the world with her husband.
Dawn Augusta
Dawn is a 602 community ambassador and local lightshiner. She is nursing professor at ASU, “the cool” mom, and wellness advocate who gets down for her city serving on various boards and commissions. If you see a brown girl, no hands bike riding while simultaneously dancing on the Arizona Canal, guaranteed it is this girl.
Jessica Flagg Lamartiniere
Jessica Lamartiniere is passionate about providing a voice to the voiceless and uses her passion of storytelling, writing, poetry, dance, art, and American Sign Language to build community development. Jessica is a graduate of Northwest University and has obtained a master's degree in International Community Development. Through her work as a Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor, she actively pursues economic justice by helping those with disabilities find employment. She is also the Founder/Executive Director of Ezer Advocates LLC, which provides transformational life groups to her local community. Apart from community development, Jessica loves being a wife, a mother, deep conversation, her faith, good food, good music, and traveling. She is simply Jess.
REVIEWS
“I appreciated the boldness of those that shared as well as the diversity of perspectives.”
“I love attending these shows. I am so intrigued and moved hearing the stories of others. I love seeing different races join together in the same room to learn about the lives and experiences of people that may not look the same on the outside but can connect on the inside. It’s such a valuable experience and I think we could all learn more and become more connected if we took the time to listen to one another’s stories. Thank you for offering this amazing event!”
“I love the mix of funny, poignant, and thought-provoking subjects. And there are some fabulous storytellers who always have a great slant on the stories they share.”
“Hearing the stories of people who identify with the African Disaspora was very affirming. Some I could relate directly too. Storytelling was masterful. I am not from Az originally and would feel sad that there were no cultural events that were inclusive of all people of African descent. The Whole Story events gives me a sense of belonging.”
