As we’ve seen in the past sections, white supremacy and racism are embedded in our society and institutions and recreated constantly. We breathe them in like air pollution, so while the origins are not our specific fault, like air pollution there are various strategies that people, communities and institutions must engage in to mitigate and clean up the mess. In this section, we will be exploring the spiritual and practical tools we can call upon to transform, interrupt, and heal white supremacy in ourselves, our meetings, and in the world.

Through racial equity work and healing white supremacy, we reclaim our full humanity. Especially for white people, this work encourages a communal, non-individualistic mindset, which can restore connections and build a sense of solidarity. We must be prepared for hard conversations and hard work, but it can also be fun, loving, and enlivening. We are all in it together.

If you have ten minutes...

Reflecting on the challenges we face as a nation, Sikh activist and lawyer Valarie Kaur offers a message of hope and love, asking, What if all of our grandfathers and grandmothers are standing behind us now, those who survived occupation and genocide, slavery and Jim Crow, detentions and political assault? What if they are whispering in our ears “You are brave”?

Watch this video address delivered at a Watch Night service on December 31, 2016. (Transcript also available).

Conversation and Journaling

Take a few moments to center, reflect, and brainstorm on your own about what a world free of oppression would look like. Make some notes. Pray if that is comfortable for you. What do you find your attention focused on? What would it feel like? What would it look like?

Use a piece of paper to create that world -- feel free to use images, words, quotes or your own drawing. If so led, take a photo of your response, or write down your response, and share with others.

In a group situation, what similarities, differences, and themes do you notice within our collection of visions?