Race, Culture & Yoga
“Race is not a negative thing to talk about it, it is a necessary thing to talk about.”
What can we do? Embrace a beginners mind which is assuming you know nothing. I invite you to ask yourself questions often. I’ve learned new words and discovered different common interpretations to words I knew. Share your thoughts and discoveries with others, learn more about different cultures and new perspectives on American history. Undoing bias starts with your personal life, your friends and social media feeds. Is it mostly filled with one race of people? It begins with your inner dialog. Ask yourself questions about why you think certain things when it comes to different cultures and races? What stereotypes do you like to joke about and when is it inappropriate? If you are speaking in general it isn’t harmful, once you apply the stereotype to an individual it can hurt someone. These are a few things I’ve learned. Share your thoughts in an email to me or below in the comments.
“Diversity is a fact. Inclusion is a choice.”
Terms
Mircoaggression - a comment or action that subtly and often unconsciously or unintentionally expresses a prejudiced attitude toward a member of a marginalized group (such as a racial minority) - Merriam Webster Dictionary
White Fragility - is a state in which even a minimum amount of racial stress becomes intolerable, triggering a range of defensive moves. These moves include the outward display of emotions such as anger, fear, and guilt, and behaviors such as argumentation, silence, and leaving the stress-inducing situation. - University of North Carolina
White Privilege - the fact of people with white skin having advantages in society that other people do not have: The concept of white privilege explains why white people have greater access to society's legal and political institutions. - Cambridge Dictionary Online
White Supremacy - the belief that white people are better than other races and should be in power. - Oxford Dictionary Online
“One of the premises of white supremacy is there I only one story, only one way to do something and only one demographic that supports the world.”