Racism is pervasive in our society, even from those of us who are well-intentioned and it's time for change. I often speak to spiritual issues such as reverence, empathy, compassion and forgiveness, but today I want to speak to education.
Many of us feel helpless, we don't know what we can do to foster change in this area. There are many things each of us can do, but one of the key things all of us can do is to educate ourselves on racism. It can be easy to try and leave it up to others to change, or to proclaim that you don't think it's really that bad, or that you don't know how to talk about it and that's where education is key.
I have not read any of the books pictured above, but they are a starting point for creating some understanding around racism. I will be focusing my attention on a few of these and invite you to learn alongside me.
Dr. Richard Davidson, professor of psychology and psychiatry at the University of Wisconsin–Madison as well as founder and chair of the Center for Healthy Minds says this, "Racism is rampant in our society, including well-intentioned white liberals. We know from our science that simply declaring that one is not racist is a far cry from actually experiencing all human beings, whatever their skin color might be, as equals. And it is even a further cry from acting in ways to combat the insidious racism that infests every nook and cranny of our work – from the scientific measures and populations we study to the people we hire. We must work together to translate our good intentions into action."
I don't believe it's a coincidence that we are alive during this timeframe. We are all being called to heal the world, let's each make sure we are doing our part to heal the past, present and future. Sitting on the sidelines is no longer an option and educating ourselves is one of the key first steps toward change.
Many of us feel helpless, we don't know what we can do to foster change in this area. There are many things each of us can do, but one of the key things all of us can do is to educate ourselves on racism. It can be easy to try and leave it up to others to change, or to proclaim that you don't think it's really that bad, or that you don't know how to talk about it and that's where education is key.
I have not read any of the books pictured above, but they are a starting point for creating some understanding around racism. I will be focusing my attention on a few of these and invite you to learn alongside me.
Dr. Richard Davidson, professor of psychology and psychiatry at the University of Wisconsin–Madison as well as founder and chair of the Center for Healthy Minds says this, "Racism is rampant in our society, including well-intentioned white liberals. We know from our science that simply declaring that one is not racist is a far cry from actually experiencing all human beings, whatever their skin color might be, as equals. And it is even a further cry from acting in ways to combat the insidious racism that infests every nook and cranny of our work – from the scientific measures and populations we study to the people we hire. We must work together to translate our good intentions into action."
I don't believe it's a coincidence that we are alive during this timeframe. We are all being called to heal the world, let's each make sure we are doing our part to heal the past, present and future. Sitting on the sidelines is no longer an option and educating ourselves is one of the key first steps toward change.
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