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Earth, Healing, and Black Feminism with Alexis Pauline Gumbs

 In the latest episode of the Embodied Justice podcast, hosted by Dr. Judy Lubin, we dive deep into the intricate intersections of personal, political, historical, and imaginative landscapes. Our special guest for this episode is the renowned poet, scholar, and self-described black feminist evangelist and queer black troublemaker, Alexis Pauline Gumbs. Known for her groundbreaking books such as “Undrowned: Black Feminist Lessons from Marine Mammals” and “Dove, Finding Ceremony,” Alexis brings a fresh perspective on resilience, community, and the enduring legacy of black feminism. 

The main focus of this episode is the embodied justice program, designed to foster the well-being of black change makers engaged in racial equity and justice work. The program encompasses community-building activities, workshops, and a three-day in-person retreat in Georgia. Alexis Pauline Gumbs sheds light on how the teachings of Audre Lorde and other black feminists have shaped her understanding of survival, resilience, and the holistic approaches to self-care that are essential for sustained activism.

Here are three pivotal takeaways from the discussion:

  1. Interconnectedness of All Aspects of Life: Alexis emphasizes that black feminism is grounded in the belief that everything is intertwined. This concept challenges the idea that one can be free while others remain oppressed or that one can thrive economically while the planet suffers. For her, and within the framework of black feminism, liberation is holistic and cannot be compartmentalized.
    • [03:40]: I had this thing, and I was like, but here’s the writing, and here’s history, and here’s my emotional experience, and here’s our social transformation. For me, it always has been very intertwined. I have related to my work, to my writing, to my facilitation in a way that just seeks to honor that reality, which has always been my reality. So I think that that’s the reality that black feminism also really uplifts. And I think that’s why learning about black feminism and being a black feminist has resonated so deeply that I call black feminism my spiritual practice because it really is grounded in this idea that everything is intertwined. And when we start to say that you know, I’m thinking about Fannie Lou Hamer. We start to say, like, oh, you can be free over here while other people are oppressed over here. It does not work that way.
  2. Listening as an Act of Resistance: The episode delves into the importance of listening—both to ourselves and to others—as a crucial component of social and political movements. Dr. Judy Lubin and Alexis discuss how deep listening can address resistance and aid in healing. Gumbs likens ignoring needs and voices to a “tantrum” and suggests that genuine connection starts with simply sitting on the ground and taking a breath.
    • [23:52]: And they might really need a breath. They’re right. They might really need to be held. They might really feel like they’re not being heard or attended to in the way that they need to. You know, I don’t wanna infantilize the people who are at the center of the backlash and be like, oh, these poor babies who are, you know, and acting incredibly violent legislation. And, you know, like, I I’m, and I, I’m not trying to say, like, there’s not calculated power grabs. People are being manipulated, But I do think that without this kind of pain spiral that many people are in, those who are calculatedly trying to complete a fascist project, right in front of us would not be able to do that. I don’t even separate myself because what did I say? Right? Everything is intertwined.
  3. Connection with the Earth: Alexis draws a connection between physical pain and societal issues, underscoring the need for healing through a closer relationship with the Earth. Emphasizing that humanity is a manifestation of the Earth, she advocates for daily grounding practices, such as sitting on grass or near water, to nurture this connection and create a more harmonious world.
    • [12:01]: Now as a black queer and ecofeminist, I’m I’m curious how you describe or contextualize this moment. And I appreciate you lifting up the Combahee River Collective and, like, the legacy of that work decades later and and and how influential it has been. And I’m wondering, like, in this moment, like, how you describe this particular period that we’re living in. I’ve heard it described as, like, this period of multiple crises. And I’m so I’m wondering, like, how your perspective informs, like, the lessons that are we’re being asked to learn as humanity, but also as for for activists and for change makers. All of the things that are happening, I want you to name, like, what you feel are, like, those critical things that are happening right now and what they’re teaching us about change, about how to be in the world, and what we should be listening for. 

Take Action:

Align with your inner peace and learn how to ground yourself and harness the teachings of Black feminists to evolve through these challenging times. Join the Community to connect with our Embodied Justice initiatives and participate in our workshops and retreats. Be sure to reflect and engage. Explore Alexis Pauline Gumbs’ reflective writing workshops to deepen your connection with ancestral wisdom.

Learn More about Our Guest

Alexis Pauline Gumbs is a beacon of innovation and resilience in black feminist scholarship and activism. Her work intertwines creative writing, historical documentation, and black feminist theory to imagine and enact new worlds through community and love. Raised in a black feminist household and nurtured in a feminist bookstore, Alexis’s upbringing was steeped in the teachings of influential black feminists like Audre Lorde and Alice Walker.

Connect With Alexis

On her website: https://www.alexispauline.com/

On Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alexispauline 

Judy Lubin

Dr. Judy is an applied sociologist, racial equity changemaker, yoga and mindfulness practitioner, author, auntie, bestie and beach lover. Judy’s elemental nature is water, and with her she brings calming, reflective energy to hold space for deep listening, inner work and transformative dialogue. 

The curator of the Embodied Justice program, she hosts the accompanying podcast and co-facilitates events and dialogues focused on the collective healing and sustainability of Black changemakers.

At CURE, Dr. Judy has built transformative racial equity frameworks and change management processes that have impacted thousands of lives. She began her career focused on health disparities, recognizing that stress from societal racism can become embodied and manifested through “weathering” that prematurely ages the body and shortens the lifespan of racially marginalized communities. 

She is unapologetically committed to centering Black people and the communities that have inspired her life’s work. The daughter of Haitian immigrants, she grew up in South Florida surrounded by music, her grandmother’s herbal garden, and the struggle to make it in a country that saw her family as outsiders. 

In 2022, after experiencing multiple health emergencies coupled with burnout from the intensity of the “racial reckoning” that increased demand for CURE’s racial equity services, Judy began a process of listening to the wisdom of her body, healing old trauma wounds, and reclaiming rest and her love of mind-body healing. During this time she explored somatics, indigenous and and ancestral healing practices and earned certifications in multiple healing modalities including yoga and energy medicine.

Emerging from a place of rest and listening to what her soul wanted to share, she now weaves mindfulness, body-awareness and spiritual activism to support changemakers and organizations to regenerate their leadership and give to the world from a place of ease and wholeness. 

Long committed to promoting women’s health and wellness, she is the author of The Heart of Living Well: Six Principles for a Life of Health, Beauty and Balance.

Find Judy on instagram or linkedin at @drjudylubin, where she (occasionally) shares posts celebrating Black joy, healing and well-being.

Shawn J. Moore

Residing at the intersection of leadership and mindfulness, Shawn creates sacred spaces for stillness and self-inquiry to help social impact leaders align their strengths, intention, and impact. Through his integrative approach, he holds transformative containers for self-renewal, personal discovery, and capacity-building that ease clients on their journey towards peace, clarity, and freedom.

Shawn is committed to empower changemakers to become embodied leaders – unified in mind, body, and heart – with the tools to mindfully pause, reconnect to their inner knowing, make strengths-driven decisions, and lead the change they believe the world needs.  

Reckoning with his own contemplation of burnout, purpose, and alignment, Shawn transitioned out of his role as Associate Dean of Student Life & Leadership at Morehouse College in the fall of 2021 to focus more on mindfulness and stillness-based training programs and workshops. 

While leadership resonates with him deeply, it is his personal and spiritual practices that allows him to continue to show up for himself and others. He is a yoga teacher (E-RYT® 200, RYT® 500, YACEP®), sound and reiki practitioner, meditation teacher, Yoga Nidra facilitator, and Gallup-Certified Strengths Coach, all focused through a Buddhist lens and 17 years of personal practice. He has contributed workshops, practices, and educational opportunities for celebrities like Questlove and Dyllón Burnside, and various yoga studios and colleges, Yoga International, Omstars, Melanin Moves Project, the Human Rights Campaign, Spotify and Lululemon. He currently serves as the Facilitation and Community Manager for BEAM (Black Emotional & Mental Health Collective).

Shawn hosts a podcast called The Mindful Rebel® Podcast that creates a platform to continually explore this unique intersection of leadership and mindfulness. Find him on instagram @shawnj_moore 

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