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Grandmother's Hands

The calluses on this part of a person's body represent both the emotional and physical pain and trauma wrought by racism on Black bodies throughout American history.

Humming or Chanting

These activities represent the soothing power of vocal activities for addressing trauma in the body.

Breathing Exercises

Menakem details many different variations on these activities in order to help people begin to "settle" their bodies.

The Soul Nerve

This entity in the body, according to Menakem, is connected directly to the brain stem and is deeply related to a lot of different human behaviors.

Menakem's Grandmother's Willow Switch

Menakem remembers being beaten with this object as a child on occasions on which he did something that put him in danger.

Lynchings

Menakem notes that both whites and Blacks were sometimes victims of these brutal and tragic killings in American history.

Black Lives Matter

This group, advocating...

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