Bookshelf: It’s In Our Bones
It’s in Our Bones by Bart Bailey (Foreword by Nancy Spector; edited by Uzma Malik)
Engagement Levels
Level 2 – Exploration & Expression
Pathway: Community, Culture & Belonging
Sub-pathway: Storytelling & Narrative Power
Overview / Mission
In this deeply personal and collective exploration, Bart Bailey invites readers into moments of reflection with ancestors and the natural world, illuminating the generational narratives embedded in identity. He writes with vulnerability—not blame—to honor inherited truths while letting go of what inhibits collective thriving. The work invites journaling, creative expression, and deeper curiosity about others who might otherwise feel “othered.”
Why It Matters
Personal and shared stories shape how we move—and how we belong. Bailey’s work rests at the intersection of identity, healing justice, and curiosity. By inviting readers to engage with ancestral scripts, this book cultivates empathy, continuity, and civic imagination.
Alignment with The Change Lab
Belonging & Inclusion: Encourages empathy and identity affirmation
Narrative Strategy: Offers a framework for personal storytelling as civic practice
Trauma-Informed Engagement: Blends self-reflection with shared meaning-making
🛠 Key Features & Resources
Journal prompts and prompts for creative response (community reflections pages) c2cjedi.com
Recommended for DEI and leadership training circles
Reviewed and hosted in community reading sessions (e.g. Busboys & Poets Books event, April 2025) c2cjedi.com+2Busboys and Poets+2c2cjedi.com+2
Available via C2C Jedi’s Courage to Care platform (author’s initiative) newsociety.com+7c2cjedi.com+7c2cjedi.com+7
🧭 Role in the Ecosystem
A narrative-based field primer: bridging individual healing, organizational practice, and systemic belonging. It’s a catalyst for individuals and groups ready to interrogate inherited narratives in service of collective civic health.
🕊 Rights, Responsibilities & Agency
Rights: Readers have the right to question inherited scripts and shape their own stories.
Responsibilities: Embrace vulnerability and use reflection to foster inclusive and empathetic civic culture.
Agency: Engage by journaling, sharing reflections in circles, or hosting community dialogues inspired by the text.
