We were thrilled to invite Vanessa Johnson back to our school as a mystery guest in late October 2018.  Vanessa introduced herself as a griot, which is a West African historian, storyteller, praise singer, poet, or musician. Griots consider themselves as a repository of oral tradition. Her story telling talents are extraordinary. We invited her in advance of taking our oldest students to see the world premiere of Kyle Bass’ play, Possessing Harriet, which is based on a true story of a young slave who broke for freedom, right here in Syracuse. To provide context for Vanessa’s visit, we read both the younger and older children numerous Underground Railroad stories. For half an hour Vanessa mesmerized our school with her stories of runaway slaves.