The Enneagram for Black Liberation: Return to Who You Are Beneath the Armor You Carry

by Chichi Agorom

Am I worthy of belonging? Am I loved just as I am? Am I safe to exist without worry? How do Black women return to our truest selves in systems that answer "no" to these three questions? The Enneagram is an ancient system of human development that shows us the limiting stories that keep us stuck in unhelpful patterns, and invites us into more expansive stories. For too long, conversations about the Enneagram and its personality types have been centered on and by whiteness. In The Enneagram for Black Liberation , certified Enneagram teacher and trained psychotherapist Chichi Agorom reclaims the Enneagram as a powerful tool for Black women to rediscover our wholeness and worth that existed long before systems of supremacy told us we weren't enough. For Black women in particular, our Enneagram personality types reflect more than just our way of being in the world; they are shaped by armor that we use to protect ourselves from pain, suffering, and shame. Breaking down each Enneagram type as a form of armor, this book offers practices to help Black women, and all who live on the margins, begin to build a sense of self separate from our mechanisms of self-protection, while working to dismantle the systems that require us to stay constantly armored up. Chichi Agorom takes readers through each of the nine Enneagram types, along with stories of Black women who identify with them, to illustrate the stories people must tell themselves in order to feel safe. In the process, Agorom seeks to inspire us to expand beyond our type patterns. Wholeness work is justice work. Centering freedom, ease, and rest for Black women, Agorom invites each of us to claim the Enneagram as our tool for resilience-building in the continued fight for liberation.

Genres: Nonfiction, Self Help, Psychology, Personal Growth, Spirituality, Social Justice, African American

258 pages, Paperback

Published August 20, 2024

Reviews

[Leigh Kramer · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best Enneagram books I've ever read—and if you know how many I've read (and declined to read), that's saying something. Using a Black liberation lens, her approach makes this a more intersectional system. She also focuses on the Holy Ideas with some truly lovely imagery that helps set the tone for each type’s chapter.

This book is a counterpoint to the meme-ification of the Enneagram. We’re not meant to be fixed and unchanged. The whole point is to move toward growth and wholeness and that only happens through connection with others. We need all nine types. Agorom emphasizes that we are more than our armor and the things we do to survive. Community practice is key, taking us beyond what we’ve learned about ourselves and going into the world to live out our strengths and healing.

Agorom points out the ways certain type stereotypes can be wielded against Black people or appear not a good fit. While this is written toward a Black audience, this book is for everyone and I’m so glad a friend recommended it to me.

At the end of each type, there are reflection questions, visualizations, and community practices. This will be especially helpful to those who are new to the Enneagram. These pieces also serve as a way for everyone to do an internal check in. The somatic profile was another great addition. There are resources in the back for those who want to learn more.

Note: Agorom was trained in the Narrative Enneagram tradition. She lists out her various teachers along the way and who their teachers were.

[Eliza Pillsbury · Rating 4 out of 5]

richard rohr has been real quiet……

this book is so informative, revelatory, and necessary! chock full of new ways to understand and use one of my favorite tools. it never ceases to amaze me how correct the enneagram is.

only 4 stars because of a personal hang-up with the section on my type (i’m a 5 duh) but this might just be a stubborn adherence to my “subjective reality” as agorom calls it…..

[Dayna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just excellent! I loved the word pictures she provided for every Holy Idea for each number! Very informative and would be an excellent introduction to the Enneagram for anyone… but I also so deeply appreciated how she connected and wrote it with Black folks in mind.

[Emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

Standing in sharp contrast to many popular caricatures of the Enneagram and the nine type structures found within it, Chichi Agorom’s The Enneagram for Black Liberation is both a triumph and a breath of fresh air. Rather than playing into the narratives of using type as a box to perpetually live in and build identity out of (“I’m a One, so I organize everything and am a perfectionist and always will be!”), Chichi takes readers on a journey to understand how type structure is like armor we build around the most vulnerable and delicate parts of ourselves for protection. Our work is to become aware of this. To learn when, how, and with whom it is safe to take that armor off; to create space between ourselves and the armor; and to wake up more and more to our particular lived experience of being human.

The book intentionally centers the voices and experiences of Black women, which is in itself refreshing as Enneagram discussions are far too often infused with the same perspectives that get the most airtime in Western society on any given day. Although I am a person with a “centered identity,” as Chichi phrases it, I deeply appreciated the spotlight being turned on new experiences AND found the book personally helpful for my own experience as a white-bodied woman.

For anybody who loves or is curious about the Enneagram, is interested in greater self-awareness, or simply is asking questions about what it could look like to wake up more to the life you are living, The Enneagram for Black Liberation is not to be missed.

[Catherine · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is incredible. As a couple and family therapist and a seeker of knowledge myself I am always on the lookout for books that I connect with and that my clients may as well. I have read many books on the Enneagram, I often utilize the enneagram types in therapy and for myself as well. This is the first enneagram book where I felt fully seen, heard, known and supported. As a 2, myself, I can feel extreme shame while reading "my section" and I did not feel that way while reading this book!!!! I actually took so many notes in the book and want to know more, want to understand myself even more as my shame isn't taking over as I read Chichi's words. I felt understood and reflected back from the pages. In my opinion, which is just my opinion, I imagine anyone who has felt as an outsider, has felt oppressed, has felt lesser can benefit from the wisdom in this book. I do believe that everyone and anyone can and will benefit from reading this book. Please buy two, read one for yourself and gift another one.

[Lauren · Rating 5 out of 5]

Chichi Agorom has written a necessary and elegant exploration of the enneagram as a tool for Black liberation. It is the best introductory text to the Enneagram I’ve encountered (taking a complex and often overwhelming tool and making it accessible and relatable without sacrificing depth). It is also, by centering Black lived experience of each type, an incredible and important antidote to the dominant Enneagram culture and conversation. I recommend this to everyone invested in our collective healing!

[Kudzai Mhangwa · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was gifted this book to read for a leadership development program that I'm a part of. The book teaches people about the Enneagram which is a tool that is used to type people's characters, core motivations and behaviour. I am new to the Enneagram so it was both a challenge to read the new concepts and also a great delight to read more about this interesting tool. I truly enjoyed the reading of the book. Agorom gave very simplified explanations and examples to make it easy for readers to grasp the concept of the Enneagram which has a lot of layers. The first part of the book is mainly focused on introducing readers to the concept of the Enneagram and the second part, she goes deep into analysing each of the nine types in great detail.

On my part I would read this book twice to ensure that the lessons stick because there was a lot of information shared and it would help to revisit this book with a great deal of openness and curiosity. I definite recommend for people who are into personal growth and mastery. I would highly recommend that people read this book knowing their Enneagram type and having read a little about the Enneagram because that would make more meaningful impact for readers.

[Kristin Boggs · Rating 4 out of 5]

[ 3.5 stars ]

I appreciated this new take on the Enneagram, a reframing of the 9 personality types with the understanding that black folks, and others in marginalized status in our country, carry armor that is influenced by the culture they live in. This book is a kind and firm path back to one’s core self.

I am a 2 personality type, through and through, but I resonated so much with the 5 as well. Not sure what to do with that yet 🤷🏻‍♀️, but it was quite interesting thinking of my habits/patterns in a new way!

[Kailin H · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is important, well written, engaging, and exactly what the conversation surrounding the enneagram has been missing. I have been interested in the enneagram for many years and I still learned so much from this book- about myself and about the enneagram as a tool for liberation. The author, Chichi Agorom, reads the audiobook and it too is excellent. Highly recommend!

[Hoppi · Rating 5 out of 5]

I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in personality in general and the enneagram specifically. This book is short, deep, and to the point. It builds on the work of the Narrative Enneagram tradition but adds a new, unique and inclusive interpretation & application that shows how black peoples (and really any minority) use their personality as a shield to protect themselves in a world that is actually dangerous at times. This is a different prospective from mainstream enneagram teachings which imply these defenses are no longer needed once we reach adulthood. This author takes into account that for some, personality defenses are needed to stay alive and safe. But she also shows how we can develop the sensitivity and awareness to know when these life saving defenses can be let down and our full selves can show up.

[Diane · Rating 4 out of 5]

A decent introductory book about the enneagram with an intersectional perspective that focuses on liberation and freedom. I enjoyed this book, though I found it a bit lacking in depth.

I would have enjoyed more information on each type, and how we can utilize this knowledge of our types to live better lives. While I enjoyed this book, I feel like the author only scratched the surface of this topic, and I was left feeling a little unsatisfied.

I've read about the enneagram before, and I think this furthered my enjoyment of the book. Again, I think the author could have gone into more detail to better educate and inform their audience.

I listened to it on audiobook, which means I missed some of the extra content like the personal stories apparently included in the margins. Overall I enjoyed this book and would recommend it to marginalized people interested in the enneagram.

[Carla Hendricks · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good read on the enneagram and great perspective for Black folks. I found it powerful when she elaborated on how the collective Black culture identifies in some ways with specific numbers, even as individually we might be all over the map with their primary numbers. I gave it 3 stars since it's not extremely helpful for those new to the enneagram, but more for people that have identified their primary number through other books and assessments.

[Christy LaLonde · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. It will be my new go-to recommendation to those looking for an introduction to the Enneagram system. It is well written and is an important book because of how it notes the very white history of Enneagram teachers in the United States and the bias that creates. I love that the author begins each type chapter with the Holy Idea.

[Cydne B · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars. Changed my view on the why the types exist. Well done!

[Hailey (haileyhardcover) · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Enneagram for Black Liberation uses the Enneagram as a tool to help Black readers (and anyone who lives on the margins) remember their wholeness and worth that existed long before systems of supremacy told them they were not enough.

This is a fantastic book, and explored aspects of the Enneagram that I haven’t seen explored before. Agorom approaches the content through the lens of (and primarily FOR) Black women, breaking down the Enneagram as a form of armor that one puts on to protect themselves from pain, suffering, and shame.

I have studied and utilized the Enneagram in my own life (personally and professionally) for almost a decade, and it has been nothing short of transformational for me and many of my closest relationships. I’ve read so many Enneagram books and websites that they’ve all started to sound the same. The Enneagram for Black Liberation is different. This book was an eye-opening, powerful deep dive into the Enneagram, healing, liberation, the Black experience (especially in America), and generally being a human. It should be required reading for Enneagram Coaches/Teachers, and even just for enthusiasts.

I have to say, I would NOT recommend The Enneagram for Black Liberation to those who do not already have a baseline understanding of the Enneagram. Though Agorom does delve a little bit into how the system works, that is not the objective of the book, and I think it would be easy to get lost and miss some of the important messaging if you’re not familiar with the Enneagram already. Learn about it first, and then ABSOLUTELY pick up this book!

[Ava Williams · Rating 4 out of 5]

a book filled with so much beauty, grace and warmth that I definitely have been needing in my life. it's great to have a book written by a black woman enneagram practitioner, our voice is often not as represented or present in the world of many personality typing systems, so this work made me feel seen in that sense 💓

also, here's my favorite quotes from the E4 chapter, since that's my type :

...equanimity, which simply means a state of balance and harmony with what exists. equanimity allows the Four to be present with what is true - for example, that painful things can happen to you without it being a reflection of your deficiency or deserved lack of belonging"

"Is my pain valid enough to be acknowledged yet?"

"When you realize that you no longer have to wait for someone outside of you to validate your pain in order for it to be real, you begin to heal"

"...the work of healing invites them into expansive joy.. in which there is room to hold both grief and hope, light and dark, pain and joy, without dismissing one for the other"

"The work for a Four is to begin to build a filter, one that is grounded in the truth of who they really are. No one outside of us can give us value. That value is inherent, and when a Four is connected to that reality, they are better able to experience other people's praise or disappointment without letting it determine their value or worth"

[Ambre · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a super interesting book! I found the descriptions clear and easy to understand, and it gave me a lot of insight into my type and the armor I 'wear'. And even though the title says it's the Ennagram for Black Liberation, this book is actually for everyone! Liberation is a goal that we should all strive for because like civil rights leader Fannie Lou Hamer said, "nobody’s free until everybody’s free".

I will definitely give the journal prompts, visualizations, and community practices for my type a deeper study. I want to start implementing them into my daily practices so that I can hopefully create more space between who I truly am and who I when wearing my type armor.

It was also intriguing to learn about the other types, and I could definitely recognize people I know in some of them. I also appreciated the list of resources at the end.

[K.J. Adan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an excellent intermediate enneagram resource for anyone of any background. Chichi explains each type’s challenges & strengths with gentle appreciation & straightforward kindness. Highly recommend. It was recommended to me by a black pastor.

The only weaknesses of the book are that I did want more insight into black liberation & how I as a white spiritual director can hear more fully the stories of black directees & help them create space for a life of joyful freedom. The author also mentions instinct stacks but never explains them, which might be difficult for people new to enneagram, & she does not explain why she doesn’t go into it until the end of the book.

Still, this is a wonderful resource & we can always be mindful of our privilege in all holy listening.

[Lindsay · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can’t overstate how phenomenal and important this book is for folks doing (and leading others in) Enneagram work! I loved it so much, I requested my library buy it (they did!) but then ended up buying a copy to underline and reference. Within a couple paragraphs into the introduction, I knew this was the work that I’ve been seeking to do and understand better.

Chichi Agorom, a certified Enneagram teacher with @narrativeenneagram, discusses Enneagram work through her lens as a Black immigrant woman. She makes powerful connections between Enneagram work, vulnerability, power structures, and systems of oppression, pointing out the particular work marginalized folks need compared to that of centered people. She explains each type clearly and adds insights that I hadn’t heard before. I especially appreciated her explanations of the holy idea, virtue, mental habit, and emotional habit for each number, as well as the journal prompts at the end of each chapter. The layout is clear, clean, and easy to return to for reference with charts and bolded words.

I can’t recommend this book enough!

[Akibsi · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is for everybody. I have studied the Enneagram, read several books and articles, and used it in my coaching practice for five years. This book is a great read and great to listen to. Chichi Agorom reads her work beautifully.

Chichi Agorom does a great job. I learned a lot from the first chapters. Her metaphors to describe each type are fabulous, her writing is direct and easy to understand, and the structure she repeats for each type’s chapter is highly educational.

[Marian Dorsey · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love the enneagram as a tool for self-reflection and I think I fell even more in love with it through the writing in this book. I loved the author’s description of each type’s armor and the objective way that she described each type’s stressed and healthy ways of being. She also skillfully weaves in references that illuminate the pressures Black people face to use certain armors. Overall, one of my favorite enneagram reads that I would recommend to anyone!

[LaQuetta Glaze · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am new to the Enneagram process and continuing to learn about the Enneagram, which has been an interesting journey that I am enjoying. Often when I am engaging with various personality tests, I do not always see the intersectionality that includes me. Chichi has done the work to use the Enneagram to integrate wholeness, worth, and separation of our armor as black women. This book is a beautiful reminder that we are more than our armor. Each Enneagram type is discussed in the book with stories of black women that outline what the type looks like for us. The book also provides the encouragement to center rest, ease, and liberation for black women to build our resilience in a more powerful way. Two lines stuck out to me. The first: “You deserve love, care, safety, worth, and belonging.” The second point that resonated is “The main thing is not to confuse the armor with the fullness of who we are, to practice daily creating that space between armor and self so that we are always deserving of- no matter what.” Highly recommend. Excellent read.

[Jawanza Barial-Lumumba · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a great read for anyone who’s done Enneagrams who wants to dive in deeper. This book frames up Enneagrams as a motivational typing AND frames up how these show up as armor. But, beneath that armor is the person you were before you needed to protect yourself from these oppressive systems like racism, sexism, colonialism, etc.

This has been the book I’ve gifted or given to people the most frequently this year, as this gives a glimpse into who we have come to show up to be, in a world where protection is needed, and allow for us to do some self work on who we were before and who we want to be. An amazing read!

[Melody · Rating 5 out of 5]

Five stars to this wonderful perspective on the Enneagram. Agorom states early in the book that this is not just for marginalized people. All people deserve liberation. Her concept of 'Armor' used as a way to keep us safe, especially with recurring events and how that might keep us from our essential self.
I love her use of somatic practices and journal prompts. A very hopeful and reassuring lens to the Enneagram.

[Katie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m not exactly the target audience, but even Chichi says this book is for everyone. It has helped me view the Enneagram via a different lens, and even see the various armor we all carry in a different way. It’s not always possible or advisable to let down our armor, especially for those in marginalized communities of any sort. I’ll be thinking about this book for a long time.

[cat · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really appreciated the new-to-me unpacking of some of the Enneagram “facts” I’ve adhered to for so long - this book really complicated my understanding of my own type and helped me to see how the common, accepted understanding of Enneagram types and theory is steeped in bias and provides important updates and shifts to make the enneagram a possible tool for individual and collective liberation

[Anna Grace Paulovkin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book on the enneagram. The way she describes each type is beautiful and very helpful to know ourselves better and love those in our lives better.

“You are worthy. You are enough. You are loved.”

[Weekend Reader_ · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think it's one of the most compelling books to get into enneagram teaching. I also liked the formating and the framing of the armor. Really Really helpful

[William Bookman III · Rating 5 out of 5]

A keeper. Adding this workbook to the collection.

[Katie · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best Enneagram books I have read.