The Danger of a Single Story

In Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie's TED Talk, The Danger of a Single Story, she discusses the importance of listening to, seeking, and incorporating more than one story into our narrative. Adichie talks about the danger of having only one reference point or storyline about a community or a group of people and the repercussions that it can have. As I listen to her, I can’t help but reflect upon the importance of her story in thinking through the work we do in community. It reaffirms so much of the NLAPH model; the multi-sector team model that centers the work as needing more than one voice to solve, the importance of authentic community engagement that partners with the community (and by this, meaning the community, and not a single voice), the value of continuous quality improvement and constantly adjusting our plans based on information we are gathering, and the value of qualitative data and within that, the value of story. As you engage stakeholders and report back to them on the work, be sure to reflect and think through the potential unintended consequences of what and how you report.

image from youtube.com