Politicized Grief
We know how our unrest, our pain, our violability are deeply political. At CTJC we’ve begun to claim this as politicized grief. As Harsha Walia has said, “In a time when so many lives are considered ungrievable (as coined by Judith Butler), grieving is a politically necessary act.”
CTJC’s Politicized Grief series offers communal practices for healing and justice. Building on the innovative Politicized Healing model at CTJC, we claim our grieving as politicized, just as our healing is politicized.
To read or download our accompanying Politicized Grief zine (created 2021), click here.
Art: Molly Costello (mollycostello.com)
Boxing as Healing: Squaring Up & Letting Go
Boxing reminds us of the healing and the power that is always available to us, right here right now. Check out our Boxing as Healing video, a facilitated guide to boxing 101 featuring our very own Gregory Banks, with prompts for healing reflection.
Check out our toolkit with exercises to support you as you practice boxing as a tool for dealing with grief, unrest, rage, and loss. Practice at your own pace and as often as you need. Listen to your body as you go.
Say It With Yo’ Chest: Spoken Word Workshop
Led by Tiff Beatty and Nannette Banks, this workshop created space to meet politicized grief with poetic voice and healing. We invite you to access the recordings below from the workshop and follow along with the toolkit to take on these reading and writing exercises at whatever pace works for you.
Grounding exercise led by Rev. Dr. Stephanie Crumpton.
Poet Tiff Beatty performs "Art is Bonfire."
Say It With Yo’ Chest workshop with Tiff Beatty and Nannette Banks.
Garden Altars: We Come From Somewhere
In November 2020, around the time of All Hallows Eve (Halloween), a vibrant circle of CTJC community members gathered in a garden for a time of remembrance. We honored those we love who have gone before, especially those killed by policing and prisons. We built a collective altar and dug into the soil, burying flower bulbs with hope and intentions of new life.
We invite you to continue this practice of remembrance with us, for anyone you want to remember in these times. We have created this video and toolkit with healing resources that we hope will inspire and sustain you.
Solstice Fire Ritual: Calling in Darkness and Newness, Endings and Beginnings
Watch the video from our short ritual shared over Facebook Live (ritual begins at 1:15). This practice was adapted from the powerful zine, Ancestral Resistance: Offerings and Practices: Collective Breaths with Intentions from Sofia Campos. Thank you for this contribution towards our healing and aliveness.