RALEIGH – Juneteenth, or June 19, is almost here — the day in 1865 when African Americans were emancipated from slavery in Texas.

But this year, one Raleigh-based digital storytelling company is making sure African Americans get to tell their own stories of resilience to commemorate the day.

Meet Truth Meet Story, a company founded by Alexus Rhone that curates live storytelling events, and trains everyone how to tell better stories.

In partnership with Raleigh Arts and SEEK Raleigh, she’s producing #TheBounceBackRDU — a virtual storytelling event that will stream live on YouTube and Facebook, on Friday, June 19 at 7pm.

“Lots of stories have circulated about the historical nuts and bolts of the shill. But what is undisputed is that the slaves were freed and their descendants are thriving,” said Rhone.

#TheBounceBackRDU will feature eight African Americans sharing stories about a time they fell down but didn’t stay down — they bounced back. It will include a post-show Q&A with the storytellers.

Rhone said the original plan was to produce this series as a live event at the City of Raleigh Museum, then COVID-19 hit.

“Thanks to tech innovators, social and cultural innovators, I was able to pivot and redraft the previous model to fit the virtual universe,” said Rhone. “In fact, the opportunity for an international audience is very appealing.”

The series will include stories from Star Robinson, CEO of Tru-Star-Power is Knowledge. She shares about the three times she considered suicide. There are also stories about being educated and experienced, yet still “playing small,” like Ruby Jackson, a sports and S.T.E.M. advocate, and Ian Parks, a passionate nonprofit leader.

The concluding story is told by Ghazi Muhammad, an empowerment coach, and storyteller who, by the age of 16, was deeply entangled in the justice system but managed a way to fight his way back.

All of the storytellers were coached by Rhone who will also share a “bounce back” story.

#TheBounceBackRDU began as a social media campaign seeking to redirect the tides that carried incomplete and inaccurate stories about black people. Rhone describes this event as taking audiences behind the curtain to explore truths-dressed-in-story, a type of “cultural cosplay.”