Grieving While Black

Grieving While Black Synopsis

Most of us understand grief as sorrow experienced upon the loss of someone or something we love--the death of a loved one, the end of a relationship, or a change in life circumstance. Grieving While Back: An Anti-Racist Take on Oppression and Sorrow approaches grief as something that is bigger than what's already happened to us--as something that is connected to what we fear, what we love and what we aspire towards. Because grief impacts our relationship with ourselves and each other, and our social location determines the amount of harm we are able to inflict against others, systemic oppression can be interpreted as the result of our unprocessed but inescapable relationship to loss. Thoughtful and inspiring, this innovative work re-imagines our relationship to power, accountability, and boundaries and points to the long-term work that needs to be done to address systemic trauma perpetuated within our interpersonal relationships. Each of us has a moral obligation to attend to our own grief so that we can responsibly engage with others. Grieving While Black elucidates grief in every aspect of our lives, providing a map back to ourselves and allowing the reader to encounter their innate wholeness.