Current Courses
Embodying Racial Justice facilitates online and in-person programs to support social movement practitioners interested in learning more about their bodies, their responses under pressure, and their capacity to work with other white people and people of color toward racial justice.
The courses foregrounds somatic body-based practices, relational connection, and community building as well as anti-racist frameworks and political commitments. During the courses, we move toward naming and clarifying our individual visions for the future and a collective commitment for liberation and justice, and building strong BIPOC and working-class-led movements.
"I have been doing justice work throughout my lifetime and never have felt so resourced and on task. The goal of this work, the shared commitment: to end white supremacy in my lifetime, is not an ideal but an organizing commitment. This training provides me with tools and principles to disrupt white supremacy and see new models of existence take place on a daily basis."
–Jen Quest-Stern, LMHC, Youth/Family therapist
This in-person, interactive course will build your capacity, embodiment and understanding of yourself inside of liberation movements in the US at this time. Participants will explore the role our bodies, the land, and our lineage(s) play in building a different future and world. Courses typically infuse a combination of neuroscience, physical movement, song, connection to nature as well as practical and theoretical grounding materials into a unique curriculum customized for changemakers.
One-day courses are typically designed as a preview of a longer forthcoming course that will take place in the same geographic area. We focus on foundational practices and concepts as well as relationship building between participants.
One-day courses are a great opportunity to gauge your interest in going deeper into more intensive courses. They are typically taught by Dara Silverman, sometimes in partnership with another teacher.
No prior somatics experience is needed. Typical course size is 20-50 people.
As a part of an ongoing commitment to resourcing Black embodiment and organizing, we've re-distributed $50,000 to Black Organizing for Leadership and Dignity (BOLD) each year for the past four years and are now also supporting local Black and Indigenous organizing anywhere we hold trainings.
Our event calendar includes scheduled upcoming courses.
Contact us to discuss planning a one-day introductory course where you live.
This in-person, interactive course will build your capacity, embodiment, and understanding of yourself inside of liberation movements in the US at this time. Participants will explore the role our bodies, the land, and our lineage(s) play in building a different future and world. Courses typically infuse a combination of neuroscience, physical movement, song, connection to nature as well as practical and theoretical grounding materials into a unique curriculum customized for changemakers.
Four-day courses typically focus on:
Deepening your embodied awareness, practice, and learnings from the body up
Bringing your body into action in your work and life
Creating communities of practice that will support you to keep exploring, letting your body reveal more depth, and unearthing your longings
Deepening and building your commitment to racial justice and understanding and confronting racial capitalism
Four-day courses are typically taught by a four person teaching team and often include a song leader. The teachers are experienced in teaching politicized somatics, in social justice movement work and in ending racial capitalism.
No prior somatics experience is needed. However, participants do need to be ready to deepen their connection to their body and the collective body, into their feeling selves and to move toward their longings and visions for the future. The typical course size is 20-30 people.
As a part of an ongoing commitment to resourcing Black embodiment and organizing, we've re-distributed $50,000 to Black Organizing for Leadership and Dignity (BOLD) each year for the past four years and are now also supporting local Black and Indigenous organizing anywhere we hold trainings.
Our event calendar includes scheduled upcoming courses.
Contact us to discuss planning a four-day course where you live.
We are currently piloting a new yearlong program that combines in-person retreats and virtual community.
This course combines neuroscience, physical movement, song, connection to nature as well as practical and theoretical grounding materials into a unique curriculum specialized for organizers, coaches, facilitators, trainers, and others focused on change-making.
The yearlong is focused on applying somatic practice and principles to small and large group facilitation. The curriculum is not focused on learning to teach somatics, but rather bringing the principles of somatics into group work.
Participants will develop:
A tool-box for meeting a group and moving them towards their goals: how to embody a politicized somatic framework and bring it into action in the room
Capacity to assess the shape of groups, what they need, and how to blend and move them towards their next steps
Understanding of embodied anti-racist frameworks, ability to apply anti-racist frameworks in coaching, small groups, and facilitation
Movement from old shape to new shape in current political conditions
Congruence and the ability to align embodiment, words, and actions with your longings in the world and the ability to bring those into facilitation rooms
Community of practice and relationships with peers who are in it with you
Practice that deepens your somatic awareness and ability to be present, open and connected
The current curriculum arc focuses on integrating somatic practice and theory as foundational to the practice of other methodologies including:
Facilitation — holding space for conflict, healing, and transformation
White folks’ work — embodying racial justice, ancestor work, cultural reclamation
Political education — embodied race/class analysis, bring in relationship and our bodies as we do theory work, and building a deeper understanding and capacity to confronting racial capitalism
The structure of the program includes:
Four in-person retreats spread across the year
Practice & methodology calls in between retreats to stay in practice together and go deeper on concepts and political analysis, including calls with guest teachers
Virtual mentorship circles with members of the teaching team
Participant organized and led groups to go deeper in topics and practices based on interest and experience
The pilot program is for white people who facilitate groups. Future offerings may include multi-racial courses, stay tuned for more details.
Prior somatic experience is not a prerequisite, but it is recommended. We recommend interested participants attend a four-day somatic intensive prior to joining the year long program. This supports you and the group to have shared practice. You can see the full calendar here.
As a part of an ongoing commitment to resourcing Black embodiment and organizing, we've re-distributed $50,000 to Black Organizing for Leadership and Dignity (BOLD) each year for the past four years and are now also supporting local Black and Indigenous organizing anywhere we hold trainings.
Our event calendar includes scheduled upcoming courses.
Contact us to discuss the yearlong course and get more information.
Periodically we host free virtual workshops to support our community and introduce folks to somatics. No previous experience is necessary.
Recent workshop topics include:
Centered Accountability: Feeling Our Patterns Under Pressure
Holding Contradictions in this Movement Moment
The Power of Practice: What is Possible in Community
Join our mailing list to receive notifications about workshops.
Occasionally we host virtual open houses and course FAQ sessions with our community and prospective students. These sessions invite two-way conversation between our teachers and community members.
This is where prospective students interested in an in-person course can come to receive answers to their questions. Embodying Racial Justice will share upcoming course calendars and related updates. We also build in time for community, connection and practice. No previous experience is necessary.
Join our mailing list to receive notifications about Open House and FAQ sessions.
Participants who have attended at least one in-person session with Embodying Racial Justice are invited to join us for an optional weekly somatic practice space.
These free sessions are an opportunity to support your practice and deepen your somatic commitments in community. We are building this community of practice as a commitment to build communities of anti-racist people who can support each other and racial justice movements locally, nationally, and internationally.
If you haven't taken an in person with us yet, please do that. After your course completion we can connect you with the virtual practice space.
Contact us directly if you would like to be added to a virtual space.
