None of us are truly free until all of us are free.
This past week has left the world in shock.
The Black Lives Matter movement & that for racial equality has been brought to the forefront of all our minds, this is long overdue.
This has left us examining the systems we've been brought up in & the kind of implicit & explicit racism that exists within them. Many of us are waking up to just how much privilege we’ve been afforded through our skin colour - this piece is largely directed at those, like myself, who have benefitted from this position of unearned privilege.
We are now being called in to do the work we should have started a long time ago. We cannot be half-hearted in this.
Our practices must seek to transform and raise both the individual & collective consciousness so that we may all find liberation.
It is our work to look into the conditioning that's been handed down to us through culture, family, media etc. & work to not only release individual conditioning but remove the toxic conditioning that upholds systemic oppression & unearned privilege within our societies.
None of us are truly free until all of us are free.
To care only for our own individual liberation would be spiritual bypassing.
One of the most popular mantras from The Yoga Sutras states:
"May all beings be happy & free. May the thoughts, words & actions of my own life contribute to that freedom & happiness for all".
This mantra calls us to look deeply inwards and question everything about ourselves.
How do we think? How do we express ourselves? What brands & ideologies do we endorse? What actions do we or do we not take? How may all of this be consciously or unconsciously taking away from others happiness or freedom or upholding an unequal status quo? This includes looking into how our own unearned privilege may be negatively affecting others.
We must consciously seek to change, so that each thought, word & action we take serves the collective & our lives become a true statement of love.
This includes looking into the historic traumas that have been inflicted onto communities through a racist narrative & how this narrative continues to affect black & POC communities.
This is not easy work & requires us (particularly those of us who are white) to sit with our collective shadow. This is going to be uncomfortable but it is not a time to get lost in our own discomfort, this is a time to lean in, read & listen, really listen to the injustices that are being shown to us & sit with that pain so that we can find meaningful ways to help.
We must seek to change the future narrative - both through inner work on our own conditioning & collective action to create equal societies.
Below I have linked just a few educators and activists within the anti-racism movement which I have personally found helpful in learning more around the issues & finding ways to help. Some run their own initiatives & charities which you may want to donate to & I have linked some other groups you may want to donate to too.
Educators & activists
Rachel Cargle @rachel.cargle - Munroe Bergdorf - Layla F Saad @laylafsaad - Brittany Packnett Cunningham @mspackyetti - @BLMUK - @andrearanaej
Initiatives you may want to donate to
The Bail Project - Black Lives Matter - Reclaim The Block - The Loveland Foundation - Runnymede (UK based) - Black Lives Matter UK
This is not at all an exhaustive list but I thought I would share some people & sources I have found helpful. I am always open to hearing your thoughts so please feel open to reply to this.
Love, Chi.
