Grief work as a call to liberation, with Derek Dizon of A Resting Place

It’s hard to put into words how devastating these last few weeks have been. My attention and energy and that of everyone in my house has been primarily focused on Palestine, as it should be.But I also had a therapy session last week where my therapist said “don’t lose yourself to the fight”, and she talked about the importance of unplugging with intention at times, to recharge our spirits, so we can plug back in and do the work that needs to be done, without martyring ourselves. It doesn’t mean look away, but it does mean look away for a minute, so you can be more of yourself when you look again. With that in mind, I remembered this statement my friend Derek Dizon released last week on behalf of A Resting Place, a new grief & loss cultural center Derek founded in Seattle’s Chinatown-International District, and I knew he needed to be the next guest here on Worldwide Underground.In this episode we talk about the connections between grief and liberation work, Derek’s journey as an artist, organizer and grief counselor, and we unpack this beautiful statement you can read below, or on @therestingplace.sea on IG. A Resting Place supports the self determination and dignity of grieving people - especially those mourning deaths as a result of gendered/interpersonal violence and systemic oppression.As a cultural work organization born from anti-violence organizing, A Resting Place acknowledges that abuse of power not only inhibits people from accessing safety, but also obstructs their ability to grieve in a healthy and meaningful way.A Resting Place believes healthy relationships have the power to transform grief.Violence occurs in places of disconnection and isolation. It is made possible by a cycle of abuse, control, and exploitation of a people, place or movement over an extended period of time.Systemic and interpersonal violence interrupts the natural and sacred response of grief, taking away the humanity and dignity of survivors.Healthy relationships thrive when basic needs are met - when people have shelter, food, and clean water. Healthy relationships thrive when people’s bodily autonomy is respected, when people’s self determination is valued, and interdependence, purpose, and spiritual growth is nurtured.Healthy relationships thrive when violence and healing is accounted for.In these conditions, mourning and bereaved people are held at the center of our communities.A Resting Place believes grief work is an essential strategy in the movement to end violence & liberation of the oppressed.Grief work invites us to reimagine new and integrative ways of connection in the aftermath of violent & unjust loss — and within this reimagination, to transform longing into action; a way to honor the dead through healthy living relationships. This meaning making from loss cannot happen when people are systemically oppressed, displaced, and genocided.A Resting Place acknowledges the difference between violence as a cycle of abuse and control (e.g., interpersonal/gendered + state sanctioned violence, colonization/imperialism) and violence as a tactic for freedom and safety. A Resting Place respects the self-determined right for survivors of abuse and terror to defend their bodies and ancestral land. As a grief & loss cultural center, A Resting Place believes in the right for a people to fight their human existence so that culture, language, ritual, and memory can live in the present and be gifted for future generations.The call to grief work is also the call to liberation. Why? Because grief requires us to be free.To embrace grief is to embrace freedom - freedom from expectation and control. It is the allowance to fly, to soar, to fall, to collapse into the depths of one’s own humanity. Grief calls us to be the companion of another person’s freedom through a shared sense of loss and liberation.A Resting Place envisions a future without violence and oppression. In this future, each person’s grief is met with dignity, respect, empathy, and care. In this future, each person’s life is valuable, sacred, and with purpose. In this future, survivors of violence & oppression are empowered to make self determined choices on how they want to exist in their bodies, ancestral land, and traditional culture.A Resting Place believes this future world is possible now. A world worth struggling and fighting for.A Resting Place believes in a free & liberated Palestine.Stop the genocide now! End settler-occupation now!Enjoy this episode of the Worldwide Underground podcast. I’ll have some new mixes of music up for you soon.Worldwide Underground is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and to support this work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Get full access to Gabriel Teodros: Worldwide Underground at gabrielteodros.substack.com/subscribe