Working with Othello, students will take on the language, characters, and story of the play—and some of its history too. Though the central character is a Black man, for 400 years, the part was only played by white men. Through language study and historical knowledge, they will see that the play supports a series of racist stereotypes, and they will gain tools to learn to critique. They will also learn up close how Othello’s story has gotten twisted and changed, and consider questions like this: Who does and does not have the power to change a story? Who is believed as a storyteller? Who has been editing Othello for 400 years, and how has that changed his story? And . . . who is appreciated as a storyteller now? Today? What kind of power do body cams have—or do not have—in terms of telling stories? They will examine these questions—relevant to a classical play and their own lives. They will also read in compelling and deliberate retellings of the play by Toni Morrison, Djanet Sears, and Keith Hamilton Cobb. They will work directly with text, using the highly successful (and interactive) (and loud) Folger Method. They will have a chance to examine the earliest printed versions of Othello and meet the African American scholar-teacher teams who created the unit. We want students to be surprised, to take a deep dive into a world in which they have a place, to own Othello and some retellings, and to leave with an ability to discern who is telling what story and who is telling their story.