College of Education and Human Development

Center for the Study of Lives

10th Anniversary Celebration

Over the past ten years, there has been a continually growing national interest in and acceptance of personal narratives in many disciplines. Society as a whole has also recognized the value of stories and storytelling during the past decade. 

To celebrate this vital role of stories in our personal and collective lives, and to mark the 10^th anniversary of the Center, a series of three public forums on the theme "Narrative Truth, Meaning-Making, and Community-Building" were held during the month of October, 1998. 

On October 1, 1998,  Derald Wing Sue, an Asian-American counseling psychologist at California State University, Hayward, spoke on "How Truthful Narratives Heal and Connect." 

This was followed on Friday, October 2 by an interactive discussion group with Dr. Sue and community members on the topic, "Healing and Connecting through Narratives in Asian-American Community." 

On October, 15, 1998 William Ferris, Chairman of the National Endowment for the Humanities, spoke on "Culture and the Voice of Wisdom." To read his keynote speech for the Center's 10th Anniversary, click here. 

On October 29, 1998 Sara Lawrence-Lightfoot, an African-American professor of education at Harvard University, spoke on "Remembering a Life the Way it Really Was." 

This was followed on Friday, October 30, 1998 by an interactive discussion group with Dr. Lawrence-Lightfoot and community members on the topic, "Recognizing and Honoring Individual Lives in the African-American Community."