E35 | Aaron Johnson | Roots of Liberation: Remembering and Rewilding Together
“What does it mean to be close? What does it mean to put your hands on the Earth and to let the Earth be on you, recognizing how much we are the Earth?”
Here is an audio version.
A video version can be found below.
Aaron Johnson shares powerful insights from his journey of embracing tenderness and closeness as transformative orientations for healing and activism. He opens up about how the grief of his father’s death cracked open his emotional capacity, allowing him to reconnect with deeper, more sensitive parts of himself that had long been neglected by both the American overculture and his individual upbringing. We explore how the simple act of slowing down to truly see and be with each other becomes a radical, healing gesture—how proximity and intimacy are essential for dismantling oppression and building deep, rooted connection.
Aaron describes how "closeness" nourishes our ability to connect with our bodies, our hearts, and each other in ways that can lead to collective liberation. He reflects on his childhood, the silence around sensuality and tenderness, and how these qualities challenge societal norms—especially within Black masculinity. Through his practice of touch and somatic connection, Aaron offers a pathway toward greater wholeness, both within ourselves and in our relationships with Earth and one another. We also discuss how stepping away from the demands of capitalism allows space for deeper connection and intimacy, and how rewilding, both personally and collectively, is key to healing ancestral wounds. Aaron emphasizes the importance of creating inclusive spaces for people of colour in nature-based gatherings, which are vital for fostering co-liberation and community evolution.
A Year to Live
Find Thematic Show Notes Below
Connect with Aaron:
Instagram
TEDx Talk
Dark and Tender Film Trailer
Chronically Undertouched Project
Connect with WHR:
WHR Instagram
Coyotei Counsel Instagram
Tei’s Instagram
Email - whr.link@gmail.com
Thematic Show Notes
Grief as Catalyst for Transformation:
“When you’re given the space to feel deeply, you see the world differently.”
Aaron’s father’s death and the grief that followed opened his heart and transformed his ability to connect with others.
How American culture suppresses the emotional expression of Black men, and the ways in which this pattern is linked to systemic racism.
Closeness as Radical Healing:
“Closeness is about remembering and using all the simple tools around us to help us remember.”
The power of proximity, slowing down, and sitting with others in deep presence.
How “closeness” is the antidote to the distance created by oppressive systems.
Tenderness and Black Masculinity:
“Tenderness is an unsung hero in the erotic space.”
Challenging the norms around Black masculinity, vulnerability, and emotional expression.
How tenderness disrupts traditional notions of power and sexuality.
Unplugging from Capitalism:
“If I’m not doing capitalism, what is my other behavior?”
How investing in intimacy with Blackness and the Earth requires breaking free from capitalist structures.
The role of rewilding in healing both the body and the soul.
Rewilding and Ancestral Healing:
“The trees were unwilling participants in the lynching of Black bodies.”
The complexities of rewilding for Black bodies and the need for culturally sensitive spaces for emotional and ecological healing.
Reclaiming the Voice:
“Singing is a human right.”
The importance of reclaiming cultural practices such as singing, dancing, and community building as essential parts of healing and liberation.