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May 24, 2023

On the anniversary of George Floyd’s murder: Reggie Hubbard w/Waylon Lewis on Racism in America, Spiritual Activism, & Dumb Questions.

 

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Walk the Talk Show with Waylon Lewis presents:

Waylon talks with yogi and peace activist Reggie Hubbard.

Despite some internet connectivity issues, they dig into issues around police brutality, challenges facing people of color, privilege. Reggie shares an invite to this Thursday’s (free, and open to all) virtual sangha hosted by three black male teachers at Kripalu, in honor of those lost to violence on May 25, the National Day of Remembrance for George Floyd.

Stay tuned: they’ll continue the conversation at a later date.

“This is all of our problem. You know, many people are like, oh, George Floyd’s murder happened three years ago and now it’s somebody else’s problem. It’s not because black people aren’t the only people who are impacted by racism. Even white people are impacted by racism. It’s just in different ways, you know? And if we’re talking about this from a Buddhist perspective—delusion is a root cause of suffering, right? So thinking that my pain is not your pain is a delusional thought, which perpetuates my suffering and yours as well.” ~ Reggie Hubbard

“If I don’t use my superpower of translating black experience into white language then nobody heals  and I can’t call myself a teacher.

I can’t call myself a Buddhist practitioner if I don’t step into that middle ground and create opportunity for shared community sangha around difficult subjects. Right? So bring on the dumb questions and I’ll offer as smart of an answer as I can hope for because if we don’t have the courage to have dumb questions and incomplete answers, we’ll be stuck.

And who wants to be stuck in this in-between? This sucks, bro. Like, we gotta do better.” ~ Reggie Hubbard

A clip of our conversation: 

“People get caught in the shame cycle. They don’t have the words, so they draw back and then they wanna pretend like it’s not there. And then when they pretend like it’s not there, it just perpetuates harm.

I’m glad that we’re having this conversation across  racial lines, or whatever, because I’m here for you. You’re here for me. And the myth of separation that we have just because our skin color is different is perpetuating tremendous suffering in our nation because if I don’t feel safe around you, and you don’t feel safe around me, then we’re stuck at an impasse. But if we become more vulnerable, and if I’m willing to share from my experience, and you’re willing to hear with an open heart and a clear mind, there’s a lot of stuff that can happen there.” ~ Reggie Hubbard

Or, listen to the podcast:

You’re invited:

“This virtual sangha will be led by three black male teachers (Reggie HubbardShawn J Moore and, senior teacher Devin Berry), spanning different generations, meditation styles and lineage. We will reflect on what happened then, and what we can do both now and going forth—sowing the seeds of healing for all of us harmed by our racist past and desirous of a different future rooted in celebration of our common humanity.

The virtual aspect of this is to create conditions for people to be in community with the discomfort of what we’ve experienced so that we can heal together, right? Because your healing is my healing. Me sharing wisdom isn’t just for me, it’s for all of us. And we don’t do better until we know better. Right? The beautiful thing about Thursday evening is a chance to sit and be in community.” ~ Reggie Hubbard

Learn more and register for the (free!) event at Kripalu’s website, here.

 

Reggie is on Instagram; follow here and here for more wisdom.

~

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