Embedded Files
No matter where we are in the phases of racial identity, none of us are impervious to the impact of how society perceives us. Whether it’s an off-color comment by a coworker, an uncomfortable interaction with a stranger, or an ignorant question from a friend, we receive reminders of our oppressed identities daily. These interactions can cause an emotional or physical response.
Sometimes we are highly aware of our reactions to these situations, and other times they pass without notice. All of them stem from trauma, the body’s memory of painful experiences that we’ve experienced, witnessed, or had passed down to us through our ancestry.
Resmaa Menakem’s My Grandmother’s Hands will be a constant reference throughout this workbook and is one of the foundational texts utilized by Anti-Racism Every Day. We find that Menakem’s approach to anti-racism work takes into consideration the aspects of healing and growing that are central to our activism. BIPOC folks live life every day in a BIPOC body, leading to daily racial trauma. There are also those who train, teach, facilitate, and participate in anti-oppression work with other people. Doing one is no easy feat; doing both is even harder. This is why it’s important to address our racial trauma.
Let’s consider the following thoughts offered by Menakem about the importance of addressing one’s trauma:
Black and White bodies both need to explore healing through the body, rather than only through the brain.
Trauma inflicted on BIPOC folks over centuries is not only mental and emotional, but also historical.
Only when we have “metabolized” (experienced, learned, and grown) this trauma will BIPOC communities be liberated and able to start spreading emotional health and healthy genes to future generations.
The topics presented in Week 3 are designed to help you metabolize ideas you’ve been taught and have internalized.
This week may be especially difficult as it may bring up painful experiences or memories. If necessary, please pause, settle your body, and draw awareness to what is coming up for you. You might do this by doing the body scan from Week 1, focusing on deep belly-breathing, or closing your eyes and humming a calming note or song. This and the subsequent section consist of ways to help you confront, challenge, and heal racial trauma.
Do—
Survey
Do—
Survey
Read the following questions derived from cultural bridges to justice. As you reflect, answer yes or no. If you answer yes, please feel free to use the situation box to add details describing the experience.
For printable version, click here.
Reflect—
Reflect—
In a journal or in conversation with another person doing this work, ask yourself:
Do you notice any patterns in your answers?
Were you able to reflect on specific situations where these scenarios occurred? Were they easy or hard for you to recall? Why or why not?
The above scenarios are examples of internalized oppression.
Do—
Providing Examples
Do—
Providing Examples
Go back to the cultural bridges to justice survey above. Based on your own experience, what question(s) could you add to the survey?
Reflect—
Reflect—
In a journal or in conversation with another person doing this work, ask yourself:
What are some ways you’ve tried to overcome internalized oppression?
The experience of oppression constantly denies us safety to express and share emotions, and instead tells us to hide those feelings. The impact of this can compound and take a psychological, physical, and emotional toll on us in the form of internalized oppression.
In this week we will share just four ways that internalized oppression manifests in BIPOC lives. For each example you will a) learn the definition; b) understand what it looks and sounds like in action; c) reflect on any experiences you’ve had in relation to the concept; and d) be given positive affirmations to reprogram your negative thinking patterns.
The first one is racial gaslighting
Reflect—
Reflect—
In a journal or in conversation with another person doing this work, ask yourself:
Can you think of a time when you experienced racial gaslighting?
Where were you?
Who were you with?
What was the topic of discussion?
How did you respond?
If you cannot think of an experience, consider the bodily reactions you may have had while reading the phrases above. What emotions or thoughts came up for you?’
Racial gaslighting is not an experience exclusively perpetuated by White people. You may also experience feelings of invalidation and criticism from people who have a racial/ethnic identity similar to yours. The act of oppression committed by people in the same group is called intragroup racism. Upon experiencing intragroup racism, you may be confused, hurt, or caught off guard, but it is important to remember the Phases of Racial Identity. Recognize that people from the same social category can be in different phases of how they view their racial identity. Their perception of how they experience race in the world may conflict with yours. It’s that disconnect that can lead to the person invalidating your experience.
Reflect—
Reflect—
In a journal or in conversation with another person doing this work, ask yourself:
Do you have an instance in which you experienced racial gaslighting from a member of your racial/ethnic group? If yes, please describe.
What did you learn from this experience?
In the graphic below you will find three “I” affirmations that ground you in self-love, self-compassion, and self-empathy when you encounter racial gaslighting. Please refer to these in moments where you may experience (un)subtle acts of oppression.
Do—
Create an Affirmation
Do—
Create an Affirmation
Create or remind yourself of one affirmation you can use in the face of racial gaslighting.
The second concept we will explore is tone policing.
Reflect—
Reflect—
In a journal or in conversation with another person doing this work, ask yourself:
Can you think of a time when you experienced tone policing?
What was “troubling” about your tone?
What was the context of the conversation?
Were there other people around you? If so, who?
How did you respond?
Author’s note: I have trouble recalling situations where I may have been tone policed. Throughout my professional career I’ve been overly mindful to not draw attention to myself by maintaining a pleasant, understanding demeanor in order to avoid confrontation and hearing those phrases above. This hypervigilance about my tone is a very common example of internalized oppression. So, if you cannot think of an experience, consider if this resonates with your experience.
Do—
Create an Affirmation
Do—
Create an Affirmation
Create or remind yourself of one affirmation you can use in the face of tone policing.
The third concept we will explore is microaggressions.
Reflect—
Reflect—
In a journal or in conversation with another person doing this work, ask yourself:
What are some direct microaggressions you’ve experienced?
What impact did those experiences have on you?
Again, if you have difficulty in recalling a moment, think about experiences that your friends or loved ones may have shared with you.
There are more examples, some of which you can find here.
Do—
Create an Affirmation
Do—
Create an Affirmation
Create or remind yourself of one affirmation you can use in the face of microaggressions.
The fourth concept we will explore is imposter syndrome.
Reflect—
Reflect—
In a journal or in conversation with another person doing this work, ask yourself:
Is there something in your life that people tell you you’re good at, but you don’t believe them? Why not?
Now look at the answer you’ve written above. Does it reflect one of the characteristics of imposter syndrome? If so, read the below affirmations to remember the great person you are.
Do—
Create an Affirmation
Do—
Create an Affirmation
Create or remind yourself of one affirmation you can use in the face of imposter syndrome.
Internalized oppression is covert because it makes you develop an unrealistic view of yourself grounded in negativity and disapproval.
Internalized oppression is meant to:
Make you doubt your validity and sanity as a human
Be hard to call out
Keep you silent
Protect the privileged person(s)
Because internalized oppression is a mind game, it is important to have strategies to recognize it when it is happening:
Internalized oppression also plays on existing power dynamics, so deciding whether or not it is in your best interests to address occurrences of racial gaslighting, tone policing, or microaggressions requires careful consideration.
Author’s note: As I wrote this section, there were painful moments that I, too, reflected on whether it was being accused of a lack of professionalism; pressure to acclimate to a workplace belief that we are all “family,” consequently blurring the lines of professional versus personal; experiencing intragroup racism from colleagues that looked like me; and the list goes on.
As painful as these memories are, I am taking away the knowledge that I should trust my intuition. My friends are great sounding boards to help me process my experiences. I shouldn’t feel afraid to express concern in sufficiently safe spaces. In spaces where I do not feel safe, I must settle my body. I must think through how to take care of myself not only in the moment but also hours after it occurred.
Here are some strategies I use that you can apply as well:
To deepen your practice beyond the strategies above, we recommend:
Reading more about oppression and its origins (books, articles, podcasts)
Celebrating and learning more about your culture (through family, reading, attending events, following activists on Instagram)
Taking care of yourself (healthy eating, drinking water, exercise)
Seeking community (friends, mentors, etc.) to help talk through your ideas and thoughts
Journaling (Heart Talk: the Journal by Cleo Wade) is a great start!
Do—
Mindfulness Activity
Do—
Mindfulness Activity
As we close out this section, I recommend doing the below breathing exercise as many times as you see fit. Also feel free to write your own anti-oppressive breathing affirmation using any of the affirmations you created above.
Anti-Oppressive Breathing Affirmation
I inhale all that supports my humanity
(Breathe in)
----
I exhale all that defies my being
(Breathe out)
Journey Work: Preparing for Cross-Cultural Dialogue
Journey Work: Preparing for Cross-Cultural Dialogue
The goal of this workbook is both personal development and preparation for conversations in cross-racial settings. We will end each week with exercises in applying your learnings in diversified spaces.
What are some ways you can connect to other BIPOC to discuss the pain of internal oppression? How will that prepare you for cross-culture dialogue?
Feed Your Soul: Referenced and Additional Resources
Feed Your Soul: Referenced and Additional Resources
The following are good supplements to the work you did above, if you are looking to dig deeper into this topic.
Referenced
Referenced
My Grandmother’s Hands by Resmaa Menakem
Heart Talk: the Journal by Cleo Wade
Anti-Oppressive Breathing Affirmation by @ogorchukwuu
Additional
Additional
Internalized Racism Part 5 with Dee Watts-Jones
Pedagogy of the Oppressed by Paulo Freire
@resmaamenakem on Instagram
The Body is Not an Apology by Sonya Renee Taylor
Interested in Doing More of This Work?
Interested in Doing More of This Work?
The activities and materials on this page were created for the Anti-Racism Every Day BIPOC Activism Discussion Group. All are welcome to join us to continue this work and benefit from the power of collective reflection and discussion.
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