Are You Numb?
2023 Black History Month
“We envision a world where we use power to heal rather than destroy. One where we are free to fully feel our lives and are never forced into numbness or reactivity.” Prentis Hemphill
Embodied Social Justice is the study of the way our bodies are shaped and influenced within unequal societies. For many of us who are “othered” in society, overriding or numbing sensations, can become a mechanism for survival. This can leave us disconnected from a key source of life information and satisfaction. Feeling our organic aliveness through sensations and not numbing out, lets us connect with ourselves, feel what we care about and long for; build empathy and connection with others and feel what needs to be attended to, acted upon or healed. Through sensations, we come home to our bodies, the seat of our own liberation! When we are home in our bodies, we are able to ignite social justice for all of humanity.
With all that is going on in the world or in my own life, is it easy to numb out? Do I want to numb out? The answer to these questions is absolutely, but I make the choice not to. It is important that I stay present and in my body so that I am aware of what is happening in the world and respond accordingly. If I numb out, I may miss the horror of another Black man being murdered at the hands of those who have sworn to protect and serve. If I numb out, I may miss what Governor Ron DeSantis is trying to do in Florida, erase the history of my ancestors. If I numb out, I may miss the insidious agenda being pushed by Congressperson Marjorie Taylor-Greene: misrepresenting Critical Race Theory and promoting a moral equivalency between what happened to Ashli Babbitt during the Capitol riot and the killing of Tyre Nichols.
I may not know yet how to change the world, to make it a more kinder, loving place for all of humanity, but because I am in my body, I know the violence, the unequal treatment, the “othering” and the attempt to erase my people’s history and consider us replacements in America CANNOT CONTINUE!
