The Wisdom Series is a monthly meeting to discuss racial equity topics. To learn more about the topics and to register, click here
February Meeting
In Q1 of the Wisdom Series 2022, we are exploring intergenerational wealth and trauma, supported by the work of author and social worker Resmaa Menakem. How the lives of our ancestors impact us today and the journey of collective healing we must take will lead to better outcomes for the next generation.
In February, we began our session with a Ted Talk by Carolyn Ross How to Maximize the Gifts of Intergenerational Trauma. The participants explored the following reflection questions:
- How do you think about knowledge on the other side of discomfort?
- What patterns have you seen that are environmental rather than personal?
- Can you consider intergenerational events differently? Is the “gift of trauma” a tool?
To deepen the conversation from the Ted Talk and leverage the diverse experiences of the participants, we also discussed two passages from My Grandmother’s Hands by Resmaa Menakem.
Chapter 1 , Page 20
“Clean pain is pain that mends and can build your capacity for growth.” “Dirty pain is the pain of avoidance, blame and denial.”
Q: How are we as a collective supporting one another in experiencing clean pain vs. dirty pain?
Chapter 3, Page 38
“…if it (trauma) gets transmitted and compounded through multiple families and generations, it can start to look like culture. But it isn’t culture. It’s a traumatic retention that has lost its context over time.”
Q: Where/how is trauma masking as “culture” in your person, role, or system?