With Crystal Johnson, Kitsy Schoen, and Heather Lear
Since 2007, the East Bay Meditation Center (EBMC) has been offering courses designed for white people who want to build awareness and skills for disrupting the operation of white supremacy culture. We began this journey by developing a curriculum that guided white people into deeper awareness of our white conditioning, and built intra- and inter-personal skills to support the creation of inclusive sangha. Over time, we have gone deeper into the dharma practices that guide us toward wise effort and wise action in our lives and communities to address the harm arising from race-based oppression. By bringing our practice to bear our actions are guided by the Precepts and informed by the teaching of the Eightfold Path.
This year, we are offering the foundations class in a revised format and adapted for a time of great conflict and violence, and of intense political and psychological polarization around issues of race and justice and harm. We are offering the basic curriculum in an On-Demand, online format that participants can watch on their own time or by joining one of the hosted “watch parties” that will be offered. The live course meetings will be focused on:
Building a supportive community of white people to deepen our inquiries and support our efforts to grow and change
Digesting and sharing our increasing understanding of white conditioning, the operation of systemic racism and the psychological strategies that keep us stuck as we work to engage with the painful realities of white supremacy
Developing intra- and inter- personal skills for personal and community development
Cultivating meditation practices that allow us to stay present in very difficult circumstances while staying grounded in our values
Building our understanding of, and commitment to, wise effort and action guided by deep compassion
