Why Awakening to Whiteness?
Note from Teiko: Many of us question the wisdom of focusing on skin color in any way. Here are some of the questions with which I approached this curriculum:
If we are all one, what is the benefit of focusing on our differences? Doesn’t this make the situation worse?
I’m already on the “right side” of this issue. I already believe deeply in equal justice for all, and I see many of the wrongs in our culture very clearly. How will this course change any of my views?
I’ve worked hard in my practice to begin to overcome deeply ingrained habits of guilt, self-hatred, self-blame. I can’t help being white - will this material re-ignite all the negativity I’ve worked so hard to come to terms with?
With these and other questions in mind my intention was to approach the material with a open mind. I’m so glad I did. I hope you will too.
The following is reprinted with gratitude to and permission from Bright Way Zen Temple of Beaverton, Oregon.
White supremacy isn’t just about overtly racist individuals, it’s also about culture and systems. Those of us categorized as “white” benefit from the way our society works in ways we’re rarely conscious of, and usually know little about the challenges faced by people of color in America. We also tend to think our views, preferences, and experience – strongly influenced by our whiteness – are simply “normal,” and this makes thinking about race seem optional for us, unlike any person of color.
Part of Wy’East Zen’s vision is to make our Zen center inviting and accessible to anyone who seeks the Dharma, but our Sangha is – like most in America – overwhelmingly white. What can we do to awaken to the way the phenomenon of whiteness influences us, and may make our center less than welcoming for people of color? Organizations across the country have asked this question, and people of color have told them, “Educate yourselves!”
Importantly, investigating our own racial karma is vital to our practice. In Zen, we value those things that challenge our fixed ideas of who we are, and recognize how letting go of those ideas leads to liberation, happiness, and connection. A Dharma teacher named Kristin Barker who went through a White Awake series beautifully expressed how this work goes hand-in-hand with our Buddhist practice:
[Before the course] “The truth is that I didn’t know I was suffering. The understanding of deep interdependence means that operating in a culture that objectifies, exploits and oppresses, even and especially when hidden from the dominant view, divides the heart against itself… The upside [of facing our own racism] is so much greater than I knew, so much greater than just “accepting the hard truth” like a bitter pill. I submit that the upside isn’t even to do less harm to people of color although that is a necessity. The upside is wholeness. I have found that, just as promised, if I can turn towards the suffering of racism, against my ego’s self-protecting tendencies, I do experience pain … yet come to suffer less.”
About the Course
Source: This 6-part curriculum was adapted from curricula offered by WhiteAwake.org, WAIC-UP, by Laura Jomon Martin of the Zen Community of Oregon and Awakening to Whiteness offered by Bright Way Zen.
Curriculum: In preparation for each class, participants do reading and sometimes watch videos. The assignments are substantial and it’s important to complete them before each meeting. Participants will receive the curriculum complete with live links to all articles and videos.
Meetings: Within each meeting, everyone meets together at the beginning and end for short periods of meditation, but most of the time is spent in small groups of 5 or so. You remain with the same small group throughout the program. Each meeting is structured and provides time for safe sharing and listening with no cross-talk; the series is about supporting one another in coming to terms with our own racial karma, not about debate or even discussion.
Leadership: There are no leaders for this course. Small groups choose their own facilitator each meeting, and that role rotates.
Cost: This course is free for Wy’East Zen members, although we will collect donations at the end to share with the White Awake organization and another racial justice group we will decide on.