Many of us are being called to speak our truth.

There's a lot going on in the world —particularly in the US— that we are bearing witness to. There are upheavals that we cannot ignore. We have come to a place where we can no longer look away or stay silent.

As folks of color, this is nothing new. We have always been continually trying to claim our sovereignty, our autonomy. And we know that in order to do that, we need to speak our truth. And to speak it out loud.

Our silence is complicity in our own oppression.

The problem is: our nervous systems get activated. In our bodies, we carry trauma, both from first-hand experience and from inheritance. When we speak our truth, something gets triggered — there is a history of harm in speaking our collective truth.

And so we are reluctant speak up.

But we know all too well what it feels like when we fake who we are, when we pretend to like somebody, when we play nice in the office.

It does not feel good. To say the least.

Our skin crawls. Our neck and shoulders scrunch up. Our bellies get knotted. Our torso starts to hunch over. The teeth start to grit. The jaw is clenched. The brow is furrowed, even underneath the appearance of a smooth forehead. The fists start to tighten. Or maybe it's clammy hands. Or migraines.

Either way, the body knows when we are lying to ourselves. When we are acting out of incongruence. When we are being someone who we are not.

It is time for us to stand up straight and speak our truths. To declare who we truly are, reclaim our power, and to step out into the light. To be witnessed and bear witness. To call out bullshit lies and propaganda. To fight false narratives. To rail against executive orders that skip the processes of the law and drive us swiftly into the dark belly of fäscísm.

And you can do this through healing traumas —both known and unknown— and building nervous system resilience.

You can practice speaking your truth over and over. And with each repetition, it becomes easier and easier. Your body begins to relax and soften into ease.

So who do you choose to be? The person who waits for others to rescue them? Or the person who stands in their power and speaks up and out for the liberation of all?