Page i WE TAKE FROM IT WHAT WE NEED: A PORTRAITURE APPROACH TO UNDERSTANDING A SOCIAL MOVEMENT THROUGH THE POWER OF STORY AND STORYTELLING LEADERSHIP

This study examined a social movement through the power of story and storytelling and its influence on behavior from a purposeful sampling of individuals who heard the story of Joan Southgate’s journey. Ms. Southgate, a 73-year-old African-American, walked the 519 miles of the underground-railroad across Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York and into Canada. In one sense, this grand narrative of the underground-railroad is a never-ending story but one that is subject to change with each re-telling and/or unveiling of polyphonic microstories. Stories, as no other spoken communication tool, have the ability to capture emotion and reason, hearts and minds. While storytelling is thought to be a most powerful means of communicating, very little scholarly work has been written about its use as a tool for leadership and leaders. The purpose of this study was to look at what meaning could be derived from understanding the connection between storytelling and leadership. Stories were collected and interpreted for their meaning using a social science portraiture approach, which emphasizes and respects the voice of the people bein