Black Lives Matter.
Anti-racism, Mindfulness, and Parenting
Black Lives Matter. How anti-racism, parenting, and mindfulness intersect.
Dear Practice community--
Mindfulness and social justice are inextricably intertwined. If our compassion only extends to ourselves and others who resemble us, it is inadequate and incomplete.
A local mother of color recently posted a conversation with a friend, whom she described as noting, "If my child were murdered like that, the whole f*cking world would be on fire."
Until every mother's child is safe from harm, all of us have work to do.
Interactions that make us uncomfortable offer us an opportunity to pause, take a breath, and examine our own internal reactions. To be aware of the cultural matrix around us that infuses the way in which we see and interact with the world. To choose to listen and to learn rather than reacting out of harmful habit or complacence. To open ourselves up to feedback when we do or say the wrong thing, to try to be better. This is how we learn and grow. This is how we change the world.
As a white mother to two white boys, I am going to stop there-- mine is not the voice to which you should be listening right now. I'm out there listening and learning, and would warmly encourage you to be doing that too.
If you're in search of input about how to parent from an anti-racist stance, here are a few resources worth your time.
How to talk with kids about racism and racial violence (Dr. Allison Briscoe-Smith for Common Sense Media)
Helping kids process violence, trauma, and race in a world of non-stop news (webinar for Common Sense Media)
Talking race with young children (NPR LifeKit)
If there are other resources you love-- for us as parents and/or just as humans!-- please consider replying to this note and sending them our way.
And if you're looking to come together and take action as a community, all profits (enrollments and buy one, gift one donations) from our Saturday and Sunday yoga and fitness classes this weekend will be donated to The Conscious Kid, an education, research and policy organization dedicated to reducing bias and promoting positive identity development in youth. Sign up here.
Holding my kids-- and yours-- tightly.
