Note: This is the third in a series of messages based on the book On Tyranny: Twenty Lessons from the Twentieth Century by Timothy Snyder
The Quaking of America
Resmaa Menakem is best known for his 2017 book, My Grandmother’s Hands. The subtitle of the book succinctly states the focus and thesis of the book: “Racialized Trauma and the Pathway to Mending Our Hearts and Bodies. Menakem discusses in great detail how our experience of being racially discriminated against and racially discriminating against others is both a cause and evidence of trauma in our bodies. While trauma is often depicted as an emotional response, Menakem believes it is essentially a physical response that impacts our thoughts, feelings, and behavior. More than just something that happens in our personal lives and relationships, systemic racism or what Menakem calls White Body Supremacy, is the result of living in a society where all the institutions in that society – schools, workplaces, recreational areas, law enforcement, prisons and so much more – are shaped by racism and impacts us in many ways that are evident and other ways that are not.
In 2021 Menakem published a second book, The Quaking of America: An Embodied to Navigating Our Nation’s Upheaval and Racial Reckoning. Long before the 2024 election of Donald Trump to the presidency, Menakem saw that the United States was moving toward a civil war largely centered on racial discrimination and white supremacy. He wrote the book in order to prepare and equip his readers to be prepared and equipped when the civil war comes to our doorstep. Already we have seen this war in the dehumanizing treatment of undocumented migrants, the indiscriminate arrests of college students protesting Israel’s genocide against the residents of Gaza, the banning of Black history and DEI programs in schools, and the complete shake-up of the federal government where the only qualification needed is unbridled support of the president’s policies. Trump has used a strategy that has been characterized as “flooding the zone:” ordering investigations, retributio,n and lawsuits against all sorts of people and organizations all at once. Anyone trying to “stay current” with what is happening can easily be overwhelmed. And it is frightening how quick and destructive his actions and policies are.
Living In Frightening Unthinkable Times
We are living in a time when the unthinkable is happening. Last week, President Trump ordered National Guard troops into Washington, D.C., without requesting or consulting with D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser. Two months earlier on June 7, Trump sent National Guard troops to the city Los Angeles where there were demonstrations against the arrest and deportation of undocumented immigrants. While legally, Trump did not have to consult with Mayor Bowser because of DC’s unique political status, he was legally required to consult with the mayor of LA and the governor of California, which he did not do. Then to add to the illegality two days later on June 9 Trump ordered 700 Marines to LA, which was even more blatantly illegal. The role of armed services (Army, Navy, Marines) is to protect our nation from foreign enemies, not to regard American citizens as an enemy that needs to be controlled or eliminated.
Trump has already said he is thinking of similar actions against other major cities such as Chicago, New York, and Baltimore, all who have governors and mayors who are Democrats. While Trump did not mention Philadelphia, I am sure we are on his mind as well, because we have a robust resistance movement, a Democratic mayor, and a strong sanctuary movement supporting undocumented immigrants and their desire to stay in the country. It is an unthinkable possibility that stirs up fear in the hearts of many people, including me.
Don’t Give Into Fear
In discussing how to respond to a continuous flurry of toxic and damaging actions, Menakem quotes Timothy Snyder from his book On Tyranny . Snyder writes in “Lesson 18”: “Be calm when the unthinkable comes.” He explains: “Modern tyranny is terror management. When the terrorist attack comes remember that authoritarians exploit such events in order to consolidate power. The sudden disaster that requires the end of checks and balances, the dissolution of opposition parties , the suspension of freedom of expression, the denial of a right to a fair trial and so on, is the oldest trick in the Hitlerian book. DO NOT FALL FOR IT.(Capitalization mine)
It is one thing to say one should stay calm but quite another thing to actually do it. Emotions like fear and anger arise from the part of our brain known as the amygdala, which is the source of the fight/flight/freeze response. These emotions take control of our body before the thinking part of our brain realizes what is happening. We feel anger or fright or shock in our bodies before we are able to identify what we are feeling. What we need is a way to constructively identify and channel our emotional energy to address the conflict or challenge before us.
Five Anchors to Face the Unthinkable
Menakem offers five “anchors” for dealing with the unthinkable and unexpected events that these days occur almost every day in our country. Let me briefly identify them
Anchor #1: ‘Soothe and resource your self to quiet your mind, calm your heart and settle your body.” Take deep breaths, don’t say or do anything, just slow down and wait. If possible, sit down. Allow your thinking brain to catch up to the emotions that are being stirred up.
Anchor #2: “Notice the sensations, vibrations, and emotions in your body instead of reacting to them.” What are you feeling in your body, and where? all parts of it or one particular part (e.g., stomach, neck, head, back)? Identify what is going on with your body and where in your body is the pain, shock, fear, anger, or whatever.
Anchor #3: “Accept the discomfort instead of trying to run from it.” Our first thought will be to physically, mentally, and emotionally remove ourselves from the situation. The problem is when we run, those feelings run with us. One thing we should be developing in this time of tyranny is living with the discomfort. Let’s be honest, for many of us, these are uncomfortable times; we need to learn how to live with that discomfort.
Anchor #4: “Stay present and in your body as you move through the unfolding experience, with all its ambiguity and uncertainty, and respond from the best parts of yourself.
Anchor #5: “Metabolize any energy that remains.” Anchors 1-4 can be done in less than a minute, so that in this fifth anchor, you are seeking an effective way to respond and channel your energy. You may choose to remove yourself to get a grip on yourself before you choose an action. Or you may choose to take a stand by participating in a demonstration, organizing a group, encouraging a friend, or taking some other action. In so doing you take a constructive, reasoned response.
Training Ourselves in an Emotionally Intelligent Manner
Now there is a lot more detail in The Quaking of America that Menakem offers us from an emotional and psychological perspective, which I would encourage to read. Also, in On Tyranny Snyder shares how the Nazi government stirred up fear and control by generating surprising, terrifying events. The Trump administration is using the weapons of fear and to keep us docile and quiet. As Snyder says: DO NOT FALL FOR IT!
Now I can hear some of you saying, “Getting ahold of our emotions is all well and good, but how should we respond to the invasion of National Guard and military troops into our community? If Snyder is right when he says that Trump is using tactics from Hitler’s playbook, what options do we really have? Fortunately, activists from Los Angeles and Washington, D.C., as well as activists in cities around the world, have stood up to authoritarian tactics and have things to teach us. In my next blog, I will share some of the things our fellow resistors are learning in their ongoing battle for democracy and freedom.
** The Five Anchors can be found in The Quaking of America by Resmaa Menakem, pp. 139-145.
** Emotional intelligence refers to a learned process whereby an individual can identify feelings/ emotions that arise in their bodies and manage them in a constructive and meaningful manner. To learn more, read Emotional Intelligence by Daniel Goleman (New York: Bantam Books, 1995)