RISK + ROLE: finding your contribution right now
reflections from my short time on the ground in Minneapolis
🔋 LAST CALL!! ——> Wielding the Wisdom of Our Body!
We are charging up the next cohort of a politicized somatic coaching group here in Northern Michigan to support change makers and organizers. In this 8-week offering we practice claiming our full aliveness even as the conditions of the world try to separate us from it. We reconnect to our own power in order to take skillful action in the face of violence and the rise of authoritarianism.
Everyone has a role to play in this moment - we’re here to support you to feel for yours.
As soon as I took my post in the passenger seat of the truck I knew we were in for an education. The dash had rubber duckies, mementos hanging from the rearview mirror, and a scripture from some former bible study at church. The middle console held a copy of the phonetic alphabet (a=alpha, b = bravo, e = echo…), the trunk was filled with medic supplies, a helmet, body armor, blankets and food.
And under those rubber duckies was an envelope. On the outside it read “in case of emergency.” It was there in the instance that ICE decided to detain the driver and leave her car for whomever might find it.
We were headed out for a communing shift with a retired EMT who has been patrolling her neighborhood for several weeks now to alert her neighbors when ICE was present.
And the business inside that envelope would include not only keeping the driver safe and accounted for if detained, but would protect the whole network of people who were daily working to keep their neighbors safe. It felt like we were learning about the Underground Railroad.
She trusted that if detained — loving neighbors would be on the scene and would call her emergency contact. Because that’s exactly what they had been practicing together across the city of Minneapolis these past two months.
As we heard about her experience over the last many weeks, she told us about times when ICE agents banged on her windows and tried to scare her away. She told us about how she’s witnessed people being released from the detention center into the cold night without a ride or a coat in the Minnesota winter. She shared about showing up as a medic after chemical agents were deployed and finding the nearest restaurant to wash out hundreds of people’s eyes. The restaurant made the space immediately available to the community and within minutes people had dozens of bottles of water ready to hand to the medics. The community knew what they needed to do to take care of each other.
As we drove along we eventually came across a black vehicle with blacked out windows that was driving erratically and skipped past a whole line of traffic on the shoulder of the road. It had an out-of-state license plate and our host said, “That’s probably an ICE vehicle.” I asked her if we were heading out to follow it, and she said, “Not down the shoulder. I will feel more comfortable getting over once we get a little further up and if we see it when we turn, then we can follow it.”
That’s what we did.
As we observed this neighbor on patrol, it became clear to me that she had been rigorous about assessing what risks she was willing to take and which she was not.
This is such a critical piece to mobilizing masses of people right now. We need multitudes who are willing to take risks. AND - we need a movement broad enough and wide enough to allow people choice and agency. Not everyone in Minneapolis went out on patrol. And many many many did. Not everyone patroled in exactly the same way or with the same level of risk. AND - they were connected in their work and in what each person could offer. And that mattered.
While in the twin cities we also visited a screen printing shop that shut down all regular classes and workshops to offer free screen printing of ICE OUT art for the community and to support the movement. The owner Art Price has said they will continue to do this until ICE is out. (You can make a donation here!)
We visited a cafe that has transitioned to a donation-based free-eatery which has allowed them to feed anyone who is hungry until the federal occupation is gone. They are paying their workers well, feeding their community and avoiding payroll taxes in the meantime with a donation based structure. They are practicing non-cooperaiton and the possibility of new worlds all at once! (You can make a donation here!)
All of these are examples of people who are taking risks and finding their role. They are taking risks that align with their values and their vision of the world. And they had enough relationship to trust that their community was going to catch them and hold them in that risk.
It was the first time I felt deeply hopeful about what is getting really BUILT inside this time of rupture.
There are so many more stories and lessons after being on the ground in Minneapolis for just a few days. But one key lesson I’m sitting with is how they built trust neighbor-to-neighbor in such a way that thousands could step into more risk. Thousands got clear about a role they could play in interrupting the violence.
And that mattered. A whole lot. Minneapolis has shown the nation how we can take powerful action to push back authoritarian power grabs.
RISK + ROLE
ASSESSING WHAT YOU WILL RISK + FINDING YOUR CONTRIBUTION
It is so important that we build social movements that are wide enough to hold multitudes. We need to biggest “WE” we can make. That means we have to resist the idea that there’s one right way to act. We need to honor the range of contributions that will be made while also asking ourselves, what risk CAN I take? Your might be different than mine based on our identities, social location and our responsibilities.
We also need to invite people to get clear about what they have to offer. It can be overwhelming to discern what action feels impactful, maybe sometimes you feel like the small thing you can do “won’t change anything.” That overwhelm can lead to apathy and disconnection. It not only hurts our social movements, but it’s hard on us. It can pull us out of alignment with our own values, our bodies desire to act in such a way that we are serving the people and issues we care about.
Minneapolis was powerful in their movement because thousands of people took risks and got clear about what they could contribute.
I was chatting this week with someone who was interested in our 8-week coaching group but had the thought, “is that really for me?” Like: am I really a leader? An organizer? A change maker?
A resounding yes! I hope that whether you find yourself parenting, working in a small business, on a farm, in a non-profit, or even feel confined to your home most of the time - everyone has a contribution they can make.
Tess and I are excited to offer our second round of a politicized somatic coaching group here in Northern Michigan this spring. In that coaching arc we support you to get clear about your longing and vision.
What do you have to offer this moment? How does that align with your values?
And then we offer embodied relational practices to support you in getting clear about what no’s or yes’ you need to say to make that offer. We practice making requests, deepening in mutual connection between neighbors, and understanding patterns in our bodies that might get in the way of us really making the contribution we want to make in this pivotal time. All of this supports us to assess our own risk as well.
We still have spots available and can’t wait to get into practice with this new cohort.
If you’re looking for a place to have deep connection and rigor around discerning what you might contribute to this political moment, if you’re feeling stuck and like you don’t know what to do, if you want to better assess your own risk and set the boundaries you need to be able to show up powerfully and in the way that you want — then this group is for you!
Step into practice
Wielding the Wisdom of our Body: 8 week somatic coaching group
These times are calling for more of us to show up with courage and clarity about what we love. This 8-session coaching circle will be an introduction to politicized somatics for folks oriented toward political and culture change.
We will begin by clarifying our visions for the future we want to live in: What do you care deeply about? Who and what are you a fight for? What is your contribution in this moment? Using these insights as our guide, we’ll use body-based practices to support better collaboration, deeper connection, and skillful disagreement.
Each session will include practical body-based practice paired with group discussion to integrate this learning.
Where: Friends Meeting House, 206 S. Oak St, Traverse City, MI
When: Tuesdays, March 17 - May 12 from 6pm - 8pm (no mtg the week of March 31st)
*If you have to miss one week that’s OK - we recommend not more than two.
Coaching Deals
My books are open! I have a few reduced rate spots to offer at the start of the year. Whether you can pay full price or want to hop in on one of these — I’d love to hear more about what you want to embody more of this year. Want to hear more about somatic coaching? Schedule a chemistry call with me if you’d like to learn more about my process or have any questions!
Rev Lucy, this is so respectful. Recognizing that we each have a different limit on what risk we will take AND we all have a contribution to make.
Thanks for sharing more about your time in Minneapolis. Its been incredible to hear about it from you and Tess. So amazing.