Satori Shakoor is a dynamic storyteller, multi-disciplinary artist, and social entrepreneur known for her bold and transformative work in the arts. A 2017 Kresge Literary Arts Fellow, Satori began her career as a touring vocalist with George Clinton and Parliament/Funkadelic as a Bride of Funkenstein before expanding into acting, comedy, and television writing. She is the creator and Executive Producer of The Secret Society of Twisted Storytellers®, an award-winning storytelling platform that fosters healing and community connection. Satori’s storytelling prowess has been showcased on global stages, including The Moth, PBS, and NPR, while she also serves as host of Detroit Performs Live for Detroit PBS. With her one-woman show, Confessions of a Menopausal Femme Fatale, she breaks outdated stigmas about aging and womanhood, bringing humor, truth, and empowerment to center stage. A sought-after facilitator and speaker, Satori has worked with major institutions like Duke University, the University of Michigan, and even the United Nations. Her work continues to inspire and transform communities, using the power of storytelling to connect humanity and spark meaningful dialogue.
Satori Shakoor generously agreed to answering some questions about her career for Splash Magazines Worldwide.
Black History Month is about celebrating resilience, creativity, and legacy. How can storytelling help amplify the voices of women of color in a way that goes beyond struggle and truly honors their full humanity?
Black history is American history, and in a perfect world, there would literally be no distinction. However, this is not a perfect world. Historically, all women and particularly Black women have been the less than human property and victims of patriarchy and its ideologies. When women’s rights were gained through hard won struggle, we were still considered inferior, second-class citizens. For centuries, stories of the contributions and achievements of Black women were ignored, stolen, erased and told from the perspective of others who had blind spots and biases. The films, “Hidden Figures” and “The Six Triple Eight” are perfect examples of historic Black women that made extraordinary contributions, who were “the first,” to have been difference makers and game changers in every aspect of our society.
There is an old Hopi Native American proverb, “Those who tell the stories rule the world.” This is why storytelling is so vitally important. Storytelling is a superpower. When Carter G. Woodson established Black History Week in 1915, he knew it was necessary and important to uplift, stimulate pride, purpose and to honor the voices of Black people who would otherwise be forgotten. When Black History Week expanded into Black History Month, it gave everyone the opportunity to acknowledge and focus on the glory of their outstanding and magnificent achievements of Black people. However, we have never been limited to one month. We can and do celebrate the creativity, resilience, and struggles that solidify and preserves our legacy every day. Storytelling provides society with the opportunity to know Black women in ways that will rock the world.
Society often sidelines older women, especially Black women, as if their value fades with time. How can storytelling help change that narrative and show aging as a time of wisdom, power, and new beginnings?
I believe that society has historically sidelined older women. This has been largely due to the way we are perceived through the lens of patriarchy. Patriarchy attaches a woman’s value to youth, beauty, sex and a willingness to suppress her power and be submissive to patriarchal needs and desires. When we identify with these patriarchal values, we allow ourselves to be diminished and sidelined. Menopause becomes the opportunity for women to resist this false narrative and limited view. When a woman begins to see herself as one who has gained wisdom, she becomes the driver of opportunities and begins to exercise her power. She embraces herself as an ongoing new beginning, independent of how others may see or think of her. The ability to own ourselves is the ultimate act of empowerment.
Storytelling is a revolutionary act. When we tell our stories, share our dreams and desires, we are supported by our communities, and we make great strides. This is why I believe it is imperative for us to tell our own stories, out loud and often to as many as possible. Storytelling empowers and inspires us all to have a “can do and will do” attitude. We learn through educating ourselves and develop a compelling need to be fully expressed. When we apply a rigorous effort to be included, to be seen we begin to challenge and change the false narratives that have been imposed on us. In 1872, Victoria Woodhull was the first woman to run for the Presidency of the United States. Shirley Chisholm was the first Black woman to be elected to Congress in 1986. In 1972, she made a serious bid to be nominated to the Presidency of the United States by a major party, one hundred years later. These were older women in some stage of menopause.
Over the years, menopausal women have become the largest, wealthiest and most powerful demographic in the United Sates, if not the world. Black women have always resisted being sidelined, because in being Black we have always had the most at stake.
Menopause is so often framed as an ending, when really, it can be a new chapter of freedom and transformation. How do we use storytelling to shift the conversation and celebrate this stage of life instead of dreading it?
Menopause is often referred to as the “change of life,” and it is! However, it’s more than merely change, It is transformation and it’s exciting. When we arrive at this stage of life we look back at our past, our mistakes and the lessons we’ve learned. When we begin to noticeably age, we tend to run away from that gray haired, wrinkled woman in the mirror. What we may not know is that we have arrived at the stage of life where we run into the arms of menopause. And, if we learn how to use it, we will lean into futures we have always wanted to create and with confidence. When youth fades, we remember ourselves in the stories we share. Beauty never fades. It shows in our wrinkles, the lines in our faces, our sagging breasts, our knowing laughter. Beauty is the wisdom that empowers us to take a stand for not only ourselves but others as well. Menopause is that stage of life where we invite ourselves to fully embrace freedom and power and be transformed.
This is why I wrote, performed and produced the film “Confessions of a Menopausal Femme Fatale” my standup, storytelling concert. I wanted to tell the truth of my life, confess my imperfections and cleanse myself of shame. I wanted to heal and forgive, be loud and brag about my accomplishments. Menopause has shown me that my life doesn’t have to be a joyless chore to live. Menopause has shown me that my future is a continuum of beginnings, the expectation of something special and an acute awareness that I am fully alive!
You’ve used storytelling to tackle difficult topics like racism. How can we use those same tools to break the silence around aging and menopause, especially in Black communities where these conversations don’t always happen openly?
Storytelling is perhaps the oldest human art form. Storytelling is our superpower. It’s the most effective delivery system of information and ideas, the ultimate tool of communication. Why not use it? Everyone has at least one good story to tell. The problem is everyone doesn’t know how to tell their story in a compelling way. That’s why I teach the art, craft and science of storytelling. My mission is for everyone to tell their own story. If not, we become extras in someone else’s story about us. If we don’t tell our stories we simply look good and smell good. No one will know who we really are. Others won’t be able to contribute to our lives. They won’t be able to lift us up and support us in realizing our dreams. I encourage you to tell your own story. Be vulnerable and unabashedly truthful in the telling. Lift up your unique experience of life with intention, purpose and pride.
Black History Month is a time to look back and move forward. How do we make sure younger generations of women hear the stories of their elders and embrace aging as something to be proud of, not afraid of?
I am discovering that younger generations crave the stories of elders. They hang onto every word because at the end of the day elders are human. Storytelling breaks down generational barriers; stories don’t have to scold, make others wrong or tell others what to do. Storytelling offers a connection to our shared humanity. We pass on lessons we’ve learned and give others the opportunity to gain from our experiences. I encourage everyone, especially women, particularly Black women, during Black History Month to share your stories wherever you are.
History isn’t just the black and white film footage from a long ago past. We are always, right now and forever making history. Share your stories in family gatherings, social settings, on stage, in the grocery store line, with your children, their friends, grandchildren, wherever you are. Stories are uplifting, thought-provoking and soul-cleansing. Storytelling is a generosity, a human kindness, it is a service, and at the highest level, storytelling is love, and there is nothing fearful about love.
For more info please visit the Satori Shakoor official website.
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