We can see this outpouring of historic rage and pain. I mean, we can look and say: oh, we’re having this collective experience. Depending on one’s social location it is a very different experience. Some of our listeners will have felt it and others not and I’m wondering if you can describe your own personal experiences with that pain and maybe we can talk about what that means, what is the pain of racism?ĪKW: I have really been doing a lot of listening and feeling into what this moment is and have lots of points of contact. But I want to start with the pain itself. And I’ve been feeling it myself and I’ve been hearing it from so many people that we’re tired, we are in pain and I know you are doing a lot of work to address that pain. It just feels like we’re witnessing this collective awakening, but also, this collective anger and this collective pain. And angel, I have to tell you that ever since those first anti-racist marches, in this iteration of them, for George Floyd, for Breonna Taylor, for so many others, I’ve been thinking about you. We’ve been witnessing and experiencing this seismic global anti-racist movement. VS: Which uses meditation to forward the anti-racist movement. VS: And today, you are a writer and activist and you run an organisation called Transformative Change. VS: I literally watched you go from entrepreneur to Zen Buddhist priest. VS: And I actually went to your graduation. And actually, I first met you because I went for a job interview.ĪKW: Oh, I don’t even remember that. VS: We first met 25 years ago when you were the owner of the first Black owned internet café in Brooklyn, in downtown Brooklyn, Fort Greene. VS: I think we last spoke a couple of years ago, but we’ve last seen each other even longer than that. I am so happy to have this opportunity to speak with you again. angel generously shared all that and so much more. I got in touch with her again all these years later to learn how addressing the pain of racism can make us stronger actors in the world and how it can help us survive COVID-19 and resist the ongoing onslaught of systemic racism. I first met angel about 20 years ago when I was starting out as a journalist in New York. And finding inner strength is important to Reverend angel because she believes the key to transforming society is transforming our inner selves. It’s a practise, she says, that makes for stronger, better activists. She uses the practise of mindful meditation to help her followers heal from the pain of racism. Against the backdrop of COVID-19 and global anti-racist uprisings, Reverend angel has been leading online group meditations. Recently, her work has been impacting an even bigger community. As an anti-racist priest who advocates for social justice, Reverend angel has been shaking up the Buddhist community in the U.S. Reverend angel is a visionary author, Zen priest and activist. VS: Today I’m talking with the Reverend angel Kyodo williams. angel Kyodo williams (AKW): You have to be peace with yourself, not just make peace, right? You have to be peace with yourself in order to tolerate the suffering of the world. Vinita Srivastava (VS): From The Conversation, this is Don’t Call Me Resilient. Please check the corresponding audio before quoting in print.
Dont call me up sounds like how to#
Episode 2: How to deal with the pain of racism - and become a better advocate.
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