Womanist Group

post #1

Our group is interested in learning more about the connection between trauma and the body; specifically how trauma affects the bodies of people of color. Generational trauma is something that has come up a lot in our discussions and influences how we are starting to look at theology. For example, we have a desire to understand how traditional Christian theology has led to the oppression of black bodies since the beginning of time, and thus, generational trauma is something that must be taken into account. Although Christian theology typically does not have space for trauma, we are interested in learning about how God and the gospel of Christ can speak into the black experience of systemic racial oppression.

Our group chose to read Stand Your Ground: Black Bodies and the Justice of God by Kelly Brown-Douglas because we were intrigued to learn more about how and why black bodies have been oppressed by the Christian church. This book gives a historical overview of the events and predispositions that have led to the formation of a specific cultural mindset. This cultural mindset, as argued by Brown-Douglas, is what is at the heart of Stand Your Ground laws and ultimately, the murdered lives of multiple black people, such as Trayvon Martin.

Additionally, half of our group is reading The Body Keeps The Score by Bessel Van Der Kolk. We are interested in this book because of our shared desire to learn more about how trauma lives in the body. Through Van Der Kolk’s research with veterans, he has come to understand Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and has devised ways of recovery; specifically, EMDR and yoga. These two alternative options help the patient let go of the past, inhabit their body, and rewire the brain. The other half of our group is reading Trauma and Recovery by Judith Herman. This book connects how psychological trauma can connect to a political movement. Specifically, Herman argues that in order for psychological trauma to come to the forefront of discussion, history has shown that it must be backed by a political movement.

These two books about trauma connect to Stand Your Ground because of how the brain deals with trauma, even across generational lines. We have found that much of our discussion has been centered around how marginalized poplulations have been effected by traditional Chrisitian theology. For example, from the themes of these two books, our group has spoken extensively about the origin of private schools. We were taken aback at the knowledge that private school’s were originally set in place as a means of segregation; yet, are still in place today without any concern for the origin from which they came. Though the previous example is very specific to some of our group members experience, it does well to point to the theme of generational trauma and how it has shown up in our world today.

In conclusion, our emerging public theology is interested in how black bodies can be brought to the center of Christian theology, as opposed to being silenced and oppressed. We are excited about the information we have learned about trauma, specifically about how trauma lives in the body and how generational trauma affects the people of color.

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Bibliography

Brown-Douglas, Kelly. Stand Your Ground: Black Bodies and the Justice of God. Maryknoll, NY, 2015.

Herman, Judith. Trauma and Recovery: The Aftermath of Violence from Domestic Abuse to Political Terror. New York, NY: Ingram Publisher Services US, 1992.

Van Der Kolk, Bessel. The Body Keeps The Score: Brain, Mind, And Body In The Healing of Trauma. New York, NY: Penguin Books, 2015.