Born 1871, Laura Wood, an African American woman, was 59 when she was lynched in Rowan County, NC, on February 11, 1930. Rowan County is roughly 37 miles from where I live today. Laura Wood was a farmer, wife, and mother of four adult children. Her husband, Neal Wood, said, “…She left home to help […]
Remembering Laura Wood: Lynching, Racial Dominance, and the Politics of Unchecked Power Read More »
My life’s work is educating on transforming systemic racism through racial awareness amidst overt racist acts, often within grief, and at times, on top of burnout. I often ask myself: What keeps us sitting up straight with a strong core despite our circumstances? Poet and songstress Andra Day sings in Rise Up: You’re broken down
Grief, Freedom, and the Metta of Andra Day Read More »
I’m inside a spaceship, surrounded by astronauts floating in the sterile, meticulously organized interior of the craft. Their clothing clean and white, the space filled with the hum of technology—wires, Velcro straps securing everything in place. I was one with them, secure, snug in a sense of order. As I turned, I noticed colorful, asteroid-like
Fragments of Reality Read More »
Coming Soon: Scholarships for our Online Academy Courses! At this time when the value of diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging (DEI&B) is being questioned, and many organizations and individuals face limited resources for racial awareness training, we’re excited to announce that thanks to a generous grant, the Mindful of Race Institute will be offering significant
Online Academy Scholarships Read More »
I grew up playing a card game called bid whist, popular among African Americans. Four people play this game, representing two pairs. The cards are dealt face down and six cards are placed in what is called a kitty. After a review of what has been dealt to you and a wild guess after reading
Bid or Pass: A Call to Balance for Bodies of Color Read More »
As an African American lesbian elder and educator of the dharma, I am often challenged by students and teachers who feel that raising social and political issues within the dharma hall is inappropriate if not distracting from practice. I often will hear: I’m here to work on my mind, to be free from suffering. But
Awakening Together: Embracing Social Justice in the Dharma Hall Read More »
Nothing in life is Personal, Permanent, or Perfect! Liberative insight is the core practice of insight (Vipassana) meditation, or mindfulness meditation. The distinction of insight meditation from other forms of meditation is that we’re investigating the nature of our existence, of phenomenon, and of our activity of mind, in order to liberate ourselves from suffering.
Nothing is Personal, Permanent or Perfect! Read More »
Why I said Genocide & How we move forward together. Dear friends, I deeply appreciate the comments I have received from my last blog post, those of you who felt affirmed and particularly those of you who questioned my use of the term genocide. To engage in a semantic debate on the use of the
There is a genocide occurring of innocent people in Gaza, not to mention in many parts of the world. Have you noticed? Can you feel it? Then what? What’s happening in Gaza is horrific and, sadly, not new nor is it uncommon to see greed, hatred, and delusion manifest at a raw and vile extreme
Stop The Genocide! Read More »
In a society grappling with fever-pitch social violence, political hostility, and systemic threats to equality, it’s not uncommon for individuals to harbor mixed feelings about Black History Month. The discomfort arises from a sense of hypocrisy – a dissonance between the month-long celebration and the pervasive issues that persist before and beyond February. While the
Beyond Black History Month: Navigating the Complexities of Racial Awareness Read More »