Embodied Antiracism for Organizations
Nourishing the relational and embodied conditions in which transformation is possible
❋ Who is this for?
Groups of white folks that either have an existing white caucus/accountability practice or are ready to lay the foundation for a more transformative loving accountability practice. Perhaps you’ve been meeting for a long time and are stuck in competition, perfectionism, spinning your wheels or struggling to be vulnerable. Or you’re receiving feedback from colleagues of color that the values you share aren’t always showing up in the ways you move, relate, respond under pressure.
❋ What’s unique about this approach?
Embodied antiracist practice tends to the ways that white conditioning lives in and between us. In learning to claim each other and weaving a fabric of we’re-in-this-together, we find more solid ground on which to stand and greater capacity to keep showing up to the work of racial justice with the humility, willingness to take risks, tolerance for discomfort and non-closure, and resilience that’s needed from us.
❋ What kinds of challenges does it address?
Many progressive/left-leaning white people have read the antiracist books and been to the antiracism workshops, but when it comes to embodying racial justice values in relationship and under pressure, we find ourselves lacking the embodied capacity or relationships to hold us in the mess.
What could it look like?
Foundational Workshops
Interactive introductions to embodied antiracist practice, laying the embodied and relational foundation for loving accountability.
3 Hour Intro, Half-Day or Full-Day Retreat
Staff Capacity-Building Series (Recommended)
Multi-session capacity-building that creates space for awareness building, skill-building, embodied processing and extended practice, supporting integration of the work over time.
5-8 Monthly (two hours) Sessions, Multiple Half-Day Sessions over a year
Embodied Antiracist Learning for Leaders
For individual, white leaders looking to more deeply embodied their racial justice values, consider joining a cohort with Rachel or doing embodied antiracism focused somatic coaching with her 1:1.
❋ Participants explore questions like:
What patterned ways did I learn to respond to the charge of race? And how can greater capacity for that charge and discomfort grow my capacity to live out my values?
How does white supremacy culture show up in the ways that white folks relate to each other around race and how might we practice something new?
How can we build relationships that are honest enough and tender enough to actually transform our patterns of harm?
What’s at stake for me in the work of transforming white supremacy?
What would happen if I could make mistakes without losing all belonging?
What risks am I willing to take to become the leader I long to be, and what support do I need?
How can I stay present in challenging moments without shutting down or becoming reactive? What helps me return to greater steadiness, connection, and choice?
More about this work:
“I will tell you that it is the best professional development I have participated in in 22 years of ministry as a pastor, and it would be well worth your time if you feel called to engage in the work at this time. I know that we have all experienced so much growth as we seek to be leaders who show up and stand up against racist practices in our churches and communities.”
- Pastor Kris Capel (participant in an embodied antiracist clergy circle)
“I can't tell you how many times I've been in conversation with someone and brought up things I've learned in this work. I learned so much about myself and about how to become more of the person I want to be in this world through our practices together. I so, so deeply appreciate your leadership, facilitation, honestly, modeling, and bearing witness to what white bodied folks can learn and how we can grow.”
- Anonymous Program Eval