Applying the Wisdom of Frederick Douglass
“You may disagree on this point or that, but I invite you into the rough and tumble of ideas, guided by the call of justice.”[1]
The Struggle Against Domination
Author Vincent Lloyd boldly extends this invitation to readers in the preface of his book Black Dignity: The Struggle Against Domination. What follows is a multilayered discussion of the philosophy of Black dignity, the need for clear-headed analysis and critical engagement to reveal systems of domination, and the need for, but also the pitfalls of struggle.[2] He calls for people to recognize the systems of domination in which we live, and then, do the work we need to do on ourselves to become new people, no longer dependent on these systems for life and security.[3] He invites us into a somatic engagement of his material in which we encounter theories, stories, and experiences with more than just our mind, but with our gut, our memories, our associations, our moral soul.
Lloyd’s Views on Black Dignity
Lloyd sees dignity not as a quality bestowed on every person at birth, but as a quality gained and performed in the struggle against domination and an act which in its purest and most powerful form, is encountered and understood in the struggle of Black slaves against white masters.[4] “The relationship between white master and Black slave in the Atlantic world represents domination at its purest, and this is why struggle against racial domination is the paradigm of struggle – and Black dignity is the paradigm of dignity.”[5] According to Lloyd, the goal of the struggle against domination is the abolition of systems of domination.[6] The vision is for a world without domination. He writes, “Though that world is inaccessible, we have a foretaste of it in the expansive practices of struggle – political organizing, dancing, dreaming. In that envisioned world, where every system of domination is dismantled, there will be equality.”[7] He adds: “The only way to access [this envisioned world], and then only imperfectly, is in a different register, through poetry, or art or song.”[8]
The Story and Wisdom of Frederick Douglass
For me, Lloyd’s book offers a plethora of ideas to contemplate and strive to understand. In particular, I was touched by his recording of Frederick Douglass’s story and wisdom and the way in which this overlapped with Lloyd’s challenge to engage our whole being in our listening and learning. As well, I found myself wondering about the place of “poetry, art, and song” in our transformation.
Frederick Douglass experienced the horrors of slavery, escaped oppression, secured his freedom, and advocated for justice through his writing and speaking in the 1800s. Douglass wrote of a “turning point” in his life when, at age sixteen, he was sent to work for a man, Covey, known as the “slave-breaker.” Covey attempted to beat and break Douglass, but the young boy fought back, overcoming the man physically and overthrowing Covey’s false paradigm of domination.[9] Douglass wrote, “[The fight] rekindled in my breast the smoldering embers of liberty… I was nothing before; I was a man now.”[10] It seems that Douglass saw this event in his life as a threshold moment not only for himself, but for all people oppressed in slavery. In his book, Life and Times of Frederick Douglass, he sought to help people comprehend the magnitude of this transformation in his life. He suggested two tools to help people in this process. For sake of space, I will focus just on the first tool.
Applying the Wisdom of Frederick Douglass
The first tool he proposed was for people to “reflect on some time when you were involved in ‘repelling the unjust and cruel aggressions of a tyrant.’”[11] I decided to apply the tool to my life. The first thought that came to mind was an incident when I was eight years old when an adult came after me with a yardstick. As I remembered, I felt the fear, anger, and adrenaline of the moment; and, as I recalled this experience in my life, I crossed a new threshold of understanding, not because my situation was similar in magnitude. It was not. But, because, at that point, I began to understand with my whole body, not just with my head and not just through words, what Douglass was describing, and on a larger scale, what Lloyd had been describing in his book. Maybe this is key to our healing – to creating new ways of being neighbors together in our country and world. Listening, not just to words, not just with our brains, but fully hearing with our entire bodies. We are somatic beings. It would make sense that our healing would come through our whole, God-equipped being.
In his book, Lloyd talks of the importance of storytelling in identifying systems of domination.[12] It is important to have storytellers. I think it is also important to have people who “hear” the stories, that we might envision together new ways of living.
Poetry, Art, and Song?
Lloyd suggests that perhaps the only way to access this envisioned world is in a different register – through poetry, art or song.[13] I wonder what that might look like? Are we creative and courageous enough to give this a try? Certainly poetry, art, and song cut through to the core of our soul, speaking a language often beyond words and yet, powerfully transformative.
I am reminded of the words of Joy Harjo, twenty-third U.S. poet laureate, who said, “We need poems when we lose something important to us, when we need to pay attention, or when we need to put something back together that has been broken…Poetry feeds our hearts and minds so we can walk forward in our story with a renewed spirit.”[14]
Ending with a Prayer
Lord, Please guide us, teach us, help us to see clearly the ways you intend us to live. And, give us courage to follow you, to love you, and to love each other. Amen.
[1] Vincent W. Lloyd, Black Dignity (New Haven: Yale University Press, 2022), ix.
[2] Lloyd, 23, 35, 37, 161.
[3] Lynice Pinkard, Black activist and minister, in Lloyd, 133.
[4] Lloyd, 14-15.
[5] Lloyd, 14.
[6] Lloyd, 159.
[7] Lloyd, 16.
[8] Lloyd, 17.
[9] Lloyd, 6-7.
[10] Frederick Douglass, Life and Times of Frederick Douglass (Boston, MA: De Wolfe and Fiske, 1892), 177; in Lloyd, 7.
[11] Lloyd, 8.
[12] Lloyd, 15.
[13] Lloyd, 17.
[14] Joy Harjo, Remember (New York, NY: Random House Studio, 1983), author’s note at closing of the book.
About the Author
Jenny Steinbrenner Hale
15 responses to “Applying the Wisdom of Frederick Douglass”
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Hey Jenny,
First off, I am sorry to hear about the traumatic childhood experience you had. That’s awful. In regards to the subject of trauma, this quote of yours stood out to me: “We are somatic beings. It would make sense that our healing would come through our whole, God-equipped being.” It made me think of Van der Kolk’s “The Body Keeps the Score.” Would you say all forms of domination inflict trauma? If so, of the practices Lloyd writes about, what would you imagine be most integral to the trauma healing and growth for people (particularly the black community) who have experience domination?
Hi David, Thanks so much for your comments and thoughts. Sorry for the delayed reply. Appreciate your good questions: “Would you say all forms of domination inflict trauma? If so, of the practices Lloyd writes about, what would you imagine be most integral to the trauma healing and growth for people (particularly the black community) who have experience domination?”
I am not an expert, but I would think all forms of domination inflict trauma. For trauma healing and growth, I would so love to ask Shonell this question, as I think this is the subject of her project. I will try to ask her this!
Jenny, wow, what a first quote to begin with! I was immediately reminded of the ways in which we are quick to agree and disagree or ask if we’re right or wrong but Douglass sets out a simple invitation to interact grounded by the principle of justice.
I also appreciate your prayer for courage to end. I think I need courage to seek these invitations that others offer and courage to extend similar invitations in kind.
Caleb, Thank you so much for your comments and thoughts. Sorry for my delay this last week. I appreciate your highlights around courage. I, too, need courage!
Hi Jenny,
I loved the comment, “We are somatic beings. It would make sense that our healing would come through our whole, God-equipped being.” In what ways can somatic engagement with stories and experiences contribute to a more profound understanding of racial justice and human dignity?
Daron, Thank you so much for your comments and your question. Sorry for my delay this last week. This is such a good question: “In what ways can somatic engagement with stories and experiences contribute to a more profound understanding of racial justice and human dignity?”
I wonder if there could be some activities we could do together that would help build relationships without words, before we even start sharing stories and listening to each other’s perspectives and experiences. My project around engaging nature is fresh in my head and comes to my mind, therefore, right away. Could there be a way to incorporate experiences in nature together, and find common ground around hiking/walking/running/prayer groups that would build shared language into our foundation before we start to listen to each other’s stories? I’m thinking off the top of my head and realize that the first ideas aren’t necessarily good, but often lead to better ideas that are sucessful.
Also, Shonell is working on some of these questions for her project, I believe. I would love to ask her thoughts on this.
Thank you, Daron. So appreciate your ideas and questions.
Jenny – Once again you have offered such a thoughtful summary and exploration of our assigned reading! I wonder what it could look like for us to engage in somatic experiences of understanding what other people have experienced. It seems easier to “think” our way through conflict, but to engage with it body, mind and soul is altogether different. Perhaps that is the intent of engaging through storytelling, poetry and art. It engages that right side of the brain that forms identity (as we learned in RARE Leadership). You’ve given me a lot to ponder and I am going to try the exercise you mentioned for myself. Thank you!
Thanks, Laura, for your thoughts and comments. So sorry to be so long in replying this week. I like this thought that you shared: “It seems easier to “think” our way through conflict, but to engage with it body, mind and soul is altogether different. Perhaps that is the intent of engaging through storytelling, poetry and art.” It seems like storytelling, poetry, and art are so effective in deeply communicating meaning beyond words.
Excited to be learning and processing alongside you and everyone in our cohort. Hope you had a good weekend.
Jenny,
I am curious what somatic learning you had from this…
You mentioned this incident in your life:
“The first thought that came to mind was an incident when I was eight years old when an adult came after me with a yardstick.”
This was a memorable experience for you. I am curious what the circumstances were around this incident. Were you being punished for something? Was this a different way of being punished for you? Who was coming after you with the yard stick? These are obviously personal questions and I will understand if you do not want to answer. I just want you to know that I care about you and would love to learn more of your somatic experience.
Blessings dear friend
Hi Kristy, Thanks so much for your questions! Sorry to be so long in getting back to you this week. This experience when I was eight was a form of punishment that had never been used in my family before and a bit more aggressive than was ever needed with my brothers and me. It seemed to be more about the adult coming after me than about something I had done.
I actually ended up taking the yardstick from the person. I also told the person to never try that again. The experience has stuck with me as unreasonable and harsh and something I never wanted my kids to experience.
Thanks for your questions and care!
Jenny,
We are “somatic beings” indeed. Thanks sharing your vulnerable 8 year old story and for a beautiful prayer too. Living or godly purpose will help us live as one body of Christ regardless of our differences.
Thank you, Jean, for your thoughts and comments. Sorry to be so long in replying this week. I like this statement you made: “Living our godly purpose will help us live as one body of Christ regardless of our differences.” I so appreciate your insights.
Hope you’ve had a good weekend. See you in class tomorrow!
You are welcome Jenny. See you in class.
Jenny know that you are working in the natural environment for your project, how could you integrate this togetherness. I appreciate your thoughts but for me personally, the strongest words were “end in prayer”. Through out slavery prayer was the weapon to not fold or feel defeated while being dominated. Their God was greater than any shackle, any whip, and any force that came against them. Domination was a concern but the greater concern may have been “when I die I will be free if only I can make it to my real master/savior”.
Shonell, thank you. That is a powerful closing thought. So helpful for me, too, is reminder that prayer is our most effective option.
I’m thinking about how my project might integrate being together and understanding one another. Daron asked me this question: “In what ways can somatic engagement with stories and experiences contribute to a more profound understanding of racial justice and human dignity?” I thought of you and your project addressing generational trauma. What would you thoughts be on Daron’s question?