If you’ve been doing this work for any amount of time, you know that liberation is not just about external systems—it’s also about the deep emotional processing that comes with unlearning, healing, and rebuilding.
Today, we’re talking about grief and joy in collective healing.
Grief is not just personal; it is systemic. It is the weight of oppression, the pain of historical loss, the mourning of what has been taken. It is also the grief of reckoning with our own roles in systems of harm.
And joy? Joy is a form of resistance—but only when it is coupled with action. We cannot bypass the work in the name of happiness. Instead, we hold both grief and joy as necessary forces in our healing.
This is what we’re diving into today.
🎧 A Preview of Today’s Discussion
📌 [Minute 10:40 - 14:30]
In this section, I break down why whiteness is a void that forces assimilation and erases cultural identity. I discuss how white-bodied people must sit with the grief of what has been lost in order to engage in this work authentically. If you’ve ever struggled with what it means to reclaim culture beyond whiteness, this moment is for you.
Want the full deep dive? Upgrade to a paid subscription for exclusive access to the full breakdown, reflection prompts, and practical tools to integrate this work into your life. If finances are a barrier, email Scholarships@DesireeBStephens.com for assistance.
