Tippett: And that if we don’t — you really explained this to me in a new way — that if we haven’t dealt with that, the facts will not penetrate even if they have sophisticated words to put around it and strategies, as you say. I was so excited to read this book and really wanted to like it. Unfortunately, it really missed the mark for me. While the author has a clear writing style, I felt that so many points were repeated over and over again in an unnecessary way. Almost like the author didn’t trust his readers so understand the points. I really liked that this book attempted to take a deep look at trauma and how important it is for us all to work through it. I completely agree with it. I think that was the saving grace of this book as it is what he spends a majority of the book on. Beyond that, I have many complaints. Current racial conflicts in America are viewed as being several centuries old, having their roots in injustices committed against white bodies in Europe, and passed onto their descendants. undoing white-body supremacy is first and foremost a somatic endeavor. the cognitive/thinking parts will flow second (because the lizard brain, the part tied to our vegus nerve, is both faster than cognition AND the vegus nerve can override cognition). and some rudimentary, superficial body practices around trauma, vaguely explained and often "supported" by inaccurate neurological explanations.

Menakem has a brother in the police force. It is clear he has done a lot of work with police officers, leaders and departments. He offers a lot of advice regarding institutional support and self care for police officers. In essence, if police officers and departments don’t take care of themselves, and join with the communities they serve, the cycle of death, tragedy and trauma will continue. On Being is an independent nonprofit production of The On Being Project. It is distributed to public radio stations by WNYC Studios. I created this show at American Public Media.

Cultural and Intergenerational Trauma

white supremacy is more accurately called white-body supremacy. it's got less to do with supremacy of white skin and more to do with supremacy of bodies that are considered white. this could be seen as semantic but is quite helpful. Tippett: Well, it’s also like the origin of that term “mansplaining.” It’s the same way that relations between men and women haven’t been grown up.

Tippett: One thing that occurred to me, reading your work, is one reason that elders are so comforting and healing — and children understand that — is because — not everybody becomes an elder; some people just get old …That’s why I put the practices in there. And so that is a very important place that I think white bodies get to, sometimes, and they either genuflect to process or strategy, and then they never — Menakem: That’s the missing piece, is that we think, “If I can just think about this differently …”