Reclaiming Expansive Speech: A Practice Guide
Liberation Lessons: Actionable Advice for Radical Change A Weekly Paid Subscriber Bonus
Dear Liberators,
There are moments in this work when we don’t need new information… we need permission.
Permission to speak.
Permission to take up space.
Permission to stop performing and start proclaiming.
Today is one of those moments.
Because before we reclaimed our time, (thank you Auntie Maxine)
before we reclaimed our bodies,
before we reclaimed our joy
We had to reclaim our voice.
And so many of us are still trying to.
Because the truth is, most of us didn’t learn to be quiet by accident.
We were taught.
We were shushed in classrooms.
Wagged at in kitchens.
Corrected in public.
Silenced in church pews.
And punished at the dinner table for speaking truth that wasn’t “respectful.”
They didn’t just teach us to soften our tone. They trained us to shrink our entire self.
To sound “safe.”
To speak “correctly.”
To say what would keep the room calm, even if it killed something inside us.
But this week, we reclaim something deeper.
Something louder.
Something ancient.
This week’s Liberation Lesson is a return to expansive speech, not just talking, but testifying.
Not just communication, but communion with truth.
Because silence may have saved us once.
But it is not what will set us free.
This Week’s Theme: Reclaiming Expansive Speech
Tools for disrupting silencing scripts and reclaiming liberated language
We begin at the root of the LIBERATE Framework™: Learn.
Let’s unlearn the lie that silence is sacred, and learn the truth that speech can be holy, too.
Why This Matters
Silencing scripts are not just linguistic, they’re spiritual and systemic.
They don’t just shape how we speak. They shape:
Who feels heard
What gets named
What stays buried
Who survives the room
And who gets believed in it
These aren’t just phrases. They are policies passed down through family, culture, capitalism, and colonialism.
And they often sound like:
“Fix your tone.”
“You’re being too sensitive.”
“Don’t be so aggressive.”
“Stay in your lane.”
“You’re doing too much.”
“That’s not professional.”
But beneath these phrases is a script of control.
And the moment we recognize it, we can rewrite it.
Silencing didn’t begin in the workplace or the classroom.
It began in the Christianized courts of feudal Europe, where questioning the crown or the church could cost you your life.
It was forged in the forced confessions of inquisitions and the submission rituals of serfdom.
It was sharpened through the Doctrine of Discovery, missionary “civilizing” campaigns, and the imperial lie that obedience was holy.
It echoed into the plantation.
It echoed into the boarding school.
It echoed into the colonized church, the courtroom, and the kitchen table.
By the time it reached us, it was fully dressed in "manners" and "professionalism."
But make no mistake:
Silencing has always been a tool of supremacy culture—across time, empire, and geography.
It’s not just historical.
It’s ancestral.
And we are here to break the lineage.
The rest of this Liberation Lesson is for our paid subscribers.
Inside, we’ll explore:
The roots of silencing scripts and how they uphold supremacy culture
A step-by-step guide for reclaiming liberated language
A somatic and spiritual practice to speak from your whole self
A ritual for ancestral remembrance through storytelling
Reflection prompts and a Practice Your Praxis section for integrating this work across Self, Home, and Work
If you’re feeling that tug in your chest, the one that says this is the work (for ME) then come on in. Your voice deserves room to rise.
And if finances are a barrier, please email Scholarships@DesireeBStephens.com. This work is communal, and no one gets left behind.
👇🏾 Click below to unlock the full lesson and join us in reclaiming what was always yours: Your voice. Your truth. Your power.