INVITATION for Virtual Practice Partners in White Bodies
What: Book Practice Group. Flow in, flow out. No Fee. As Resmaa Menakem says, “you don’t read my books, you DO my books.”
The Quaking of America: An Embodied Guide to Navigating Our Nation’s Upheaval and Racial Reckoning by Resmaa Menakem
“All adults need to learn how to soothe and anchor themselves, rather than expect or demand that others soothe them. And all adults need to heal and grow up.” (My Grandmother’s Hands, Resmaa Menakem, 197)
“The most important thing [white bodies] can do to unravel white-body supremacy - and to heal your own historical and second trauma around race - is to notice what your body does in the presence of an unfamiliar Black body, and then learn to settle your body in the midst of that presence.” (MGH, 212-213)
Why:
We need HEALING, I need healing
All bodies have nervous systems that need healing and we have a shared communal nervous system that needs healing
White bodies have particular healing work to do so we don’t “blow” our WBSC through Black bodies, bodies of culture, and fellow white bodies. (R.M.)
Collectively, we experienced an attempted coup in the United States on January 6, 2021 by folks who experience belonging in white-body supremacy culture. Overtime we want to build a healthier, more life giving culture to belong to for all bodies.
Personally, living out my call and my life-long commitment to Somatic Abolition, co-creating an embodied, anti-racist culture as a human participant in a white body and when appropriate as a white bodied faciltator. I want to be a hospice chaplain for white body supremacy culture (wbsc).
How: Gather, attune, and practice over and over via Zoom as your life and commitments allow
When: 6:55a-7:30a+ PST/9:55a-10:30a+ EST, starting Tuesday, September 13 —>
keep meeting until we’ve practiced our way through the group
Who: Everyone who longs to heal and can commit to the container we create together, coming in and out as their schedule allows. I feel empowered and called to do that for white bodied folks.
How Long: 50 weeks (numbers of book chapters), or as long as it takes
No meetings in August, second-half of December + breaks as needed
Format*
6:55 - Call opens and gathering music
7:00 - Morning greeting
7:02 - Ground, Orient, Hum/Sing
7:07 - Chat Check-In
7:10 - Solo/Parallel Body Practice time from book chapter
7:25 - Journaling in the form of what Resmaa calls Soul Scribing and/or Chat Check-Out
7:30 - Singing Goodbye
* inspired by and based on the work of Music that Makes Community and Resmaa Menakem’s book, My Grandmother’s Hands
Long-Term Hope and Vision: Multiple generations from now the anti-racist culture we know “is possible, and on her way” is realized and ongoing. All bodies and especially Black bodies, Indigenous bodies, and all bodies of culture are safe and FREE.
In the very near future: white bodied folks will connect with other white bodied folks through this group to form ongoing, life-long trios/quartets (click for link to Psychology Today article)
All along the way: healing and more space in our individual and collective nervous systems.
There is no fee to participate. Financial contributions are appreciated & encouraged to:
Education for Racial Equity
Music that Makes Community
Contact info for more questions: connect@emilylinderman.com
Zoom link registration:
https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZ0uc-CsqDMiH9ZLwnI0i2JI16XjD74RHXlk
Who is Emily?
White-bodied human, godmama to four precious humans, palliative care chaplain, and grateful member of MMC’s Monday Morning Grounding community as well as one of MMC’s My Grandmother’s Hands reading and practicing 2022 cohort co-facilitators. In 2021, I participated in a 9-month Communal Consultations cohort for white-bodies through Education for Racial Equity with Resmaa Menakem and Carlin Quinn that is still changing, healing, and moving me towards new ways of being and belonging. Through that experience, ERE connected me with three other white-bodied folks and our quartet continues to meet and practice monthly. In July 2022, I went through ERE’s Foundations for Somatic Abolition course again as a refresher. You can read more about me and my work in the world here.
