Social Justice

After George Floyd’s murder by a Minneapolis Police officer on May 25, 2020, our mindfulness community came together as a commitment to being a positive force for racial justice. We continue to evolve these monthly open meetings to listen, learn and affect real and lasting change in the fabric of the United States and the world.

Please join our next session Saturday, March 13, 12-1:15 PM. In this meeting for all people you can:

• Just come to listen.
• Discuss the book “Caste” (Isabel Wilkerson). NOTE: We focused on this same book in our last meeting, and many participants wanted more time to finish reading it and continue the discussion.
• Share your personal experiences and evolving awareness related to racism and racial justice.
• Let us know about other anti-racism work, names of black-owned businesses, insights, or just respond in the moment.

Each session is inspiring as we listen, share and stir up ideas and actions. It’s a meeting of minds and hearts, supporting each other in a safe space.

Register here for this free event.

Please join our next session in this ongoing series of open discussions Saturday, January 30, 12-1:15 PM.

Accept – Educate – Self-Inquire – Act

This meeting is for all people committed to being a positive force for racial justice. You can:

• Just come to listen
• Share your responses to the book “Caste” (Isabel Wilkerson)
• Participate in a guided meditation/visualization for all people, toward healing racism-related trauma in the body/mind (inspired by Resmaa Menakem’s book “My Grandmother’s Hands”)
• Share other anti-racism work, names of black-owned businesses, insights, or just respond in the moment.

Each session is inspiring as we listen, share and stir up ideas and actions. It’s a meeting of minds and hearts, supporting each other in a safe space.

Register here for this free event.

Please join our next session in this ongoing series of open discussions Saturday, December 5, 12-1:15 PM.

Accept – Educate – Self-Inquire – Act

This meeting is for all people committed to being a positive force for racial justice. You can:

• Just come to listen
• Participate in a guided meditation/visualization for all people, healing racism-related trauma in the body/mind
• (Optional) Share your responses to the movie OR the book “Just Mercy”
• Share other anti-racism work, names of black-owned businesses, insights, or just respond in the moment.

Each session is inspiring as we listen, share and stir up ideas and actions. It’s a meeting of minds and hearts, supporting each other in a safe space.

Register here for this free event.

Our next session in this ongoing series of open discussions is Saturday, October 31, 12-1:15 PM. A free 75-minute gathering. 

Time to catch up on the reading from the last few meetings (see list below) and other articles and readings on your list. We’ll meet to share learnings and insights. Each session has been a unique and powerful meeting of minds and hearts, supporting each other in being a positive force for racial justice. 

Me and White Supremacy, by Layla Saad. 
How to be an Anti-Racist, by Ibram X. Kendi
My Grandmother’s Hands, by Resmaa Menakem

Register HERE for this free event.

Accept – Educate – Self-Inquire – Act

On Saturday, September 26, 12-1:15 PM, we’ll meet online to discuss the book My Grandmother’s Hands, by Resmaa Menakem. All are welcome. This is our fourth session in an ongoing series of open discussions, supporting each other in being a positive force for racial justice.

“Menakem posits that racism is embedded in the hearts, souls, and reflexes of both blacks and whites in American society [and all people of color on the police force], and that the trauma inflicted on many as a result of this fact is harmful to all. Menakem then helps readers get inside the black experience to encounter everyday threats and the responses of fighting, fleeing, or freezing in order to begin the healing process. The guided exercises and social commentary help to pave the way for understanding one another and building a stronger community that benefits everyone. For all readers.” (Library Journal) 

Register HERE for this free event. All are welcome as we support each other in being a positive force for racial justice. 

Accept – Educate – Self-Inquire – Act

Recap of Session 3: Our third meeting (Aug 22) was on How To Be An Antiracist, by Ibram X. Kendi. Those of us who thought this was a book informing white people how to be an antiracist were surprised to learn all the ways the author uncovered racism within himself being raised black in America. We were moved as he wove his personal story in between informative reflections on history.

Saturday, August 22, 12-1:15 PM

For our third session in this ongoing series of open discussions, we’ll meet online to discuss the book How To Be An Antiracist by Ibram X. Kendi, “A groundbreaking approach to understanding and uprooting racism and inequality in our society—and in ourselves.” 

Register HERE for this free event. All are welcome as we support each other in being a positive force for racial justice. 

Accept – Educate – Self-Inquire – Act

Recap of Session 2: Our second meeting (July 18) was on Me and White Supremacy, by Layla Saad. Each participant spoke with vulnerability and deep care about the inquiries in this book, including realizations and personal challenges. Listening to each other’s reflections with embodied presence brought awareness of systemic racism to the forefront, similar to watching an educational film or reading an article.

Remember the 4 steps in the heading above, and the reminder: This is a marathon, not a sprint. It’s clear that racial justice work is lifelong work that will deepen over time. (Inspired by interview with Jennifer Hutton.)