~ Reflection on What White People Can Do ~
George’s Floyd’s murder was a wake up call. There have been countless others, of course, but those in power have always succeeded in hitting the snooze button and white people have mostly gone back to sleep. But this is different and as a white Buddhist practitioner, I have been asking how I can respond to the unfolding situation. As social, economic and institutional patterns of white supremacy and white privilege are being revealed and challenged, what am I called to do in these times?
Perhaps you have been asking yourself the same question?
I think I am beginning to find some answers. Initially, I felt compelled to join the protestors in denouncing these deeply entrenched and harmful patterns that have persisted for centuries. So I participated in the demonstrations in Seattle. I had no choice. It was something I could not not do. And I am very glad I went.
On the fringes of a large and justifiably angry crowd, I sat and meditated, offering my presence as well as a lot of loving kindness and compassion to the demonstrators and the police alike. Then when I saw the tear gas rolling down the street, I left and returned to my safe, comfortable home on Whidbey Island.
But offering loving kindness and compassion are not enough; they must be accompanied with nonviolent action. The racist society in which we live was created by our ancestors, so we are responsible for dismantling it. We are the ones who benefit and if we do not take action, we are complicit in perpetuating it.
So what can we do?
The Buddha had plenty of suggestions that are as relevant today as they were in the oppressive caste system that existed in his time. The ones I find most helpful at this time are contained in the Noble Eightfold Path: wise view, wise intention, wise speech, wise action, wise livelihood, wise effort, wise mindfulness, and wise concentration.
To practice this path, there are many things that those of us with white bodies can do:
First, we have a responsibility to educate ourselves about the historic and current expressions of racism and oppression so that we can begin to understand what it might be like to have a black or brown body. To put ourselves in the shoes of those who do not have the privilege that we have experienced. We are called bear witness to their unimaginable suffering and not turn away once again, as if these devastating events are isolated, singular occurrences. I recommend Resmaa Menakem’s book My Grandmother’s Hands: Racialized Trauma and the Path to Healing Our Hearts and Bodies, as a start.
A second thing we can do is to uncover and work with our own unconscious biases, judgments and prejudices – the ones that are buried inside us because we are part of a racist culture. One way of starting is to take one of the implicit assumption tests developed at Harvard University. I suggest the ones on race or skin tone. When I did these tests, I was shocked at the results. But this is just a beginning. The real work comes in working with implicit assumptions. To do this, I find the educational materials developed by White Awake and other similar groups very helpful.
A third thing we can do is to take action. Not just talk about change, but engage in it, with our bodies, our minds and our hearts. And in case you are wondering what you can do, here is a list of 75 Things White People Can Do for Racial Justice.
In the words of the statement made by teachers at the Insight Meditation Society:
“It is time to bring consistently and persistently mindful awareness, keen discernment, energetic response, intense interest, a foundation of calm and steadiness, and a spaciousness that can hold it all. In telling the truth and helping others in whatever way we can, we are cultivating all these qualities in ourselves; and by cultivating them in ourselves, we develop the inner resources and resilience to effectively be of help to others.”
Perhaps you have been asking yourself the same question?
I think I am beginning to find some answers. Initially, I felt compelled to join the protestors in denouncing these deeply entrenched and harmful patterns that have persisted for centuries. So I participated in the demonstrations in Seattle. I had no choice. It was something I could not not do. And I am very glad I went.
On the fringes of a large and justifiably angry crowd, I sat and meditated, offering my presence as well as a lot of loving kindness and compassion to the demonstrators and the police alike. Then when I saw the tear gas rolling down the street, I left and returned to my safe, comfortable home on Whidbey Island.
But offering loving kindness and compassion are not enough; they must be accompanied with nonviolent action. The racist society in which we live was created by our ancestors, so we are responsible for dismantling it. We are the ones who benefit and if we do not take action, we are complicit in perpetuating it.
So what can we do?
The Buddha had plenty of suggestions that are as relevant today as they were in the oppressive caste system that existed in his time. The ones I find most helpful at this time are contained in the Noble Eightfold Path: wise view, wise intention, wise speech, wise action, wise livelihood, wise effort, wise mindfulness, and wise concentration.
To practice this path, there are many things that those of us with white bodies can do:
First, we have a responsibility to educate ourselves about the historic and current expressions of racism and oppression so that we can begin to understand what it might be like to have a black or brown body. To put ourselves in the shoes of those who do not have the privilege that we have experienced. We are called bear witness to their unimaginable suffering and not turn away once again, as if these devastating events are isolated, singular occurrences. I recommend Resmaa Menakem’s book My Grandmother’s Hands: Racialized Trauma and the Path to Healing Our Hearts and Bodies, as a start.
A second thing we can do is to uncover and work with our own unconscious biases, judgments and prejudices – the ones that are buried inside us because we are part of a racist culture. One way of starting is to take one of the implicit assumption tests developed at Harvard University. I suggest the ones on race or skin tone. When I did these tests, I was shocked at the results. But this is just a beginning. The real work comes in working with implicit assumptions. To do this, I find the educational materials developed by White Awake and other similar groups very helpful.
A third thing we can do is to take action. Not just talk about change, but engage in it, with our bodies, our minds and our hearts. And in case you are wondering what you can do, here is a list of 75 Things White People Can Do for Racial Justice.
In the words of the statement made by teachers at the Insight Meditation Society:
“It is time to bring consistently and persistently mindful awareness, keen discernment, energetic response, intense interest, a foundation of calm and steadiness, and a spaciousness that can hold it all. In telling the truth and helping others in whatever way we can, we are cultivating all these qualities in ourselves; and by cultivating them in ourselves, we develop the inner resources and resilience to effectively be of help to others.”