Hear a reading of James Baldwin’s classic, The Fire Next Time, which is a letter to Baldwin’s nephew, just as Ta-Nehisi Coates’ Between the World and Me is a letter to his son.
Jesmyn Ward, of Sing Unburied Sing, also compiled more recent writings on race in The Fire This Time.
Still Processing
Reparations for Aunt Jemima! When Quaker decided to take Aunt Jemima off the red pancake box after 131 years, did it also try to scrub the legacy she represents? And what sort of compensation is appropriate — and to whom — from a brand that maintained that image in public for so long?
Why We’re All Suffering from Racial Trauma (Even White People) — and How to Handle It with Resmaa Menakem (Ten Percent Happier podcast)
America’s Reckoning With Racism: The History Already Made In 2020 (WBUR)
Robin DiAngelo and Resmaa Menakem: In Conversation (On Being podcast)
It’s easy to think of racism as a virus that lives in your head. But my guest today makes a compelling case that it also lives, in very profound and often unseen ways, in your body. Resmaa Menakem is a therapist and trauma specialist based in Minneapolis. He’s also the author of an excellent book called My Grandmother’s Hands, which people in my life have been recommending to me for years. Resmaa’s work is all about healing our bodies — and, by extension, our nation — from racialized trauma. And in Resmaa’s philosophy, racial trauma lives on in bodies of all colors, including white bodies such as mine. Resmaa gives voice to a new lexicon — terms like “white body supremacy” and “somatic abolitionism” — and don’t worry, he’ll explain it all as the interview progresses. He will also share practices that bring you into your body. And he has very provocative thoughts about how white people can do their part way beyond the current news cycle.
Showing Up for Racial Justice-Santa Cruz County, CA 