(Trigger Warning)
Dear fellow white and white-passing meditators,
Meditation is not just a technique to release stress and improve personal wellbeing. It's a tool to awaken to our interconnection with all things and inspire spiritual activism for collective wellbeing.
Our practice is for establishing oneself in Being, and then performing Action for the need of the time. We meditate to integrate the benefits of Being into our eyes-open waking state not simply for ourselves, but in service of our relationships and the collective.
It's about We, not I; We-llness, not I-llness. We cannot truly be well until we are all well. Collective care is self care. The current pandemic has made this quite evident.
Meditation alone isn't a solution for collective wellbeing. We also need knowledge (clarity of truth) and human connection (empathy) to understand and inspire right Action (compassion). Collective compassion is what's required of us to create collective wellbeing and planetary peace.
To lead with compassion requires us to look inward and shed light on the darkest parts of ourselves, both individually and collectively. We can only heal what we feel. It’s not about staying seated ignorantly in bliss to avoid ‘negativity.’ We are householders engaged in the world, not escapist monks after all.
One of the greatest barriers to collective wellbeing is structural racism. This epidemic has been exposed more in recent years through the efforts of the Black Lives Matter movement and video evidence from phone cameras. Also, recent data shows how the coronavirus exposed health disparities in communities of color as a result of structural racism. The rate at which Covid-19 is disproportionately affecting communities of color is alarming.
This week in particular has been very challenging with the recent murder of George Floyd and violent antagonism of Amy Cooper. Video footage is waking up more white folx to the reality and frequency of hate crimes, police brutality, state sanctioned murder, weaponized privilege, and the prison-industrial complex that have been killing and traumatizing BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color) generation after generation for centuries.
Innocent people being killed for the color of their skin, like Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, and George Floyd (may they all Rest in Peace & Power), is the result of a structural system of white supremacy that stays in place due to white silence and apathy. This collective illness that prevents BIPOC from being safe, living well, and thriving is the problem of white folx — you and me.
Here is a diagram that illustrates the many ways structural racism is upheld through covert white supremacy still deemed socially acceptable.
Yup. It's a lot. See anything familiar? It’s okay if you do. We all have areas to work on as we wake up to this reality.
Structural racism is designed to blind and disconnect white folx from the truth, no matter how liberal or spiritual. The discomfort racism brings up in white folx and the privilege we have to ignore it has kept us silent and apathetic most of our lives, even while BIPOC are fighting for theirs.
To all white and white-passing folx:
We must transcend our silence and apathy. It is our responsibility to act because when we change, the system can change. When we do nothing, we are consenting to the perpetuation of harm.
Here and now is where change begins, and it begins with ourselves. Start with knowledge (educate yourself) to uncover implicit bias and reveal the inner-workings of structural racism. Knowledge brings clarity of action.
Feeling uncomfortable, unsure, or overwhelmed reading this? Be with the discomfort. You'll be okay.
Here's what works for me as a daily practice that you can adopt.
Framework for daily anti-racism practice:
1. Meditate to let go of stress and establish the mind in Being
2. Educate yourself to unlearn, understand, empathize & change
3. Act for accountability, solidarity, and justice (don’t stay silent)
To help you get started with #2 and #3, I've added a new book to the recommended reading list called Me and White Supremacy by Layla F. Saad. I can’t recommend this book enough. Please purchase it and put it at the top of your reading list. It's a powerful 28-day workbook that will illuminate your blindspots and inspire action. If it’s sold out on Amazon, try another book store or download it via Audible or Kindle. Get your hands on it.
Then continue the reading. There are many excellent books you can read by BIPOC authors. Some suggestions can be found on the reading list here.
To be clear, I am not an anti-racism expert, so it’s important to do your research and work with BIPOC experts. I recommend taking online classes with anti-racism educators such as Rachel Ricketts, Monique Melton, and Constanza Eliana Chinea. You will learn a lot from them. We must support Women of Color doing the heavy lifting with our power, privilege, and resources ($$). They are out leaders in this work.
There are many more actions to take to help dismantle white supremacy, which you’ll discover when you roll up your sleeves and do the work. Speaking with your family about this and donating to organizations like Black Lives Matter is a good start. It’s an evolving process of learning where you’ll likely make mistakes (like I have). Don’t let fear of making mistakes keep you silent. I’ve learned to listen, apologize, correct, and do better. The wellness industry being white-centered is an elephant in the room that I’ll speak to specifically in another post soon.
Also, please avoid reaching out to your BIPOC friends for clarity and answers as you may unintentionally cause them harm. It’s also traumatic for BIPOC to continue seeing pics and videos of black people dying on white people’s social media feeds, so please don’t do it. Please do your work and then only post valuable content that will help break white silence. Always site your BIPOC sources and give credit where it’s due.
If you're white and feeling triggered or emotional reading this, please give yourself private space to process what you’re feeling. Sharing these emotions publicly has potential to harm BIPOC. The discomfort coming through happened to me and to many white folks. It is a sign of white fragility to work through and build resilience. Something good is happening when you allow yourself to feel and move through any feelings of shame or guilt. I go through it myself. It can come in waves. Rather than ignoring what you’re feeling, read the recommended books and work through it. You got this. I believe in you.
Reach out to me anytime if you’d like to discuss what’s coming up for you.