Developing Awareness of Race and Privilege: A Resource List
One of the things we love about Black History Month is that it inspires and demands that Americans look at our difficult past and present, celebrate people who have raised our collective consciousness despite all the forces trying to silence them, and ask ourselves: how can we move forward?
How do we engage in conversations around privilege and racism constructively?
How can each of us look inside ourselves to understand our role in perpetuating both - especially white people?
This is not easy territory to navigate. Thankfully, there are many resources available to help you uncover what you need to face, listen deeply, and show up with compassion and kindness - for yourself, and for others.
WITHIN Meditation is based in the San Francisco Bay Area, home to many individuals and organizations who will challenge you and help you in this arena. Here are some of our favorite resources that they offer.
East Bay Meditation Center
Founded to provide a welcoming environment for people of color, members of the LGBTQI community, people with disabilities, and other underrepresented communities, the East Bay Meditation Center in Oakland, CA welcomes everyone seeking to end suffering and cultivate happiness.
They offer a wealth of resources for white people, including tips for how to convey that you see, hear, value and respect other people; classes on white privilege; and videos and articles to help you learn more about how being white has affected your perspective on life and how it affects the meditation community they have created (sangha).
Mukunda empowerHOUR
San Francisco-based Mukunda Studio offers a monthly empowerHour community discussion. You can tune in online via Zoom or InstagramLive. On February 19th, the topic will be No One Wins the Race: Honoring Black History Month.
TendWell Collective Resources
TendWell Collective emerged in 2020 from a desire to create a wellness space with a commitment to equity and a shared set of values. They offer an evolving collection of inspiration and resources related to those values on their website.
A great place to start is a conversation that TendWell’s founders held about their anti-racism value. The video is available on-demand; just create an account on TendWell’s platform and “rent” the video for $0 for complimentary access.
Dr. Lori A. Watson
If you’re looking for workshops or trainings for your school or organization, Dr. Watson is a great partner. As a coach and a facilitator, she has helped individuals and organizations uncover personal and institutional biases in order to elevate racial consciousness and move toward systemic racial equity transformation. Learn more about her her approach on her website, Race-Work.
Everyday Feminism
This online publication has many helpful articles, including the following:
White People: This Is How To Check Your Privilege When Asking People of Color For Their Labor
So You Call Yourself an Ally: 10 Things All ‘Allies’ Need to Know
They also offer on-demand online racial justice webinars and trainings.
We hope this list inspires you! Do you have other resources that you’d like our community to know about? Please share them in the comments below!