Dear Friends,
At this time, we are called to take a clear and definite stand against the systemic racism that has brought us to this moment in history. We are outraged by the violence perpetrated against Black people who have experienced institutionalized racism for over 400 years. We stand in solidarity with all Black people, the protesters, and the activists who are speaking out against this injustice.
As white people with unearned privilege, we (Scott and Chandra) take responsibility to decolonize our own minds and to take action against racial inequality.
It is for this reason that we make these commitments:
- Listen to Black voices and leadership
- Re-call the names of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, Sandra Bland, Atatiana Jefferson, and the many, many others, whose names we don’t know, who have been victims of police brutality and white supremacy
- Take personal responsibility for getting educated and talking about what we learn with other white folks
- Be co-conspirators with those who have experienced oppression and trauma due to racist policies so that we may be allies in this work
- Continue to donate our time and money to organizations and individuals that are tackling police brutality, racism, and white supremacy. Here are the orgs we are supporting:
- NAACP (Secures the political, educational, social, and economic equality of rights in order to eliminate race-based discrimination and ensure the health and well-being of all persons.
- Movement for Black Lives (A space for Black organizations across the country to debate and discuss the current political conditions, develop shared assessments of what political interventions were necessary in order to achieve key policy, cultural and political wins, convene organizational leadership in order to debate and co-create a shared movement wide strategy)
- SURJ (Showing Up for Racial Justice is a national network of groups and individuals working to undermine white supremacy and to work toward racial justice)
- People’s Breakfast Oakland (An Oakland based grassroots Black socialists political organization which serves the houseless community with essential resources)
- Black Visions Collective (Develops and campaigning for Minnesota’s emerging Black leadership)
- Reclaim The Block (Organizes Minneapolis community and city council members to move money from the police department into other areas of the city’s budget that truly promote community health and safety)
- Support BBIPOC (Black, Brown, and Indigenous People of Color) Dharma and Yoga teachers and centers and form alliances with these individuals and organizations to bring their work to the attention of our community
- Creating an atmosphere that is accessible, welcoming, and safe for BBIPOC in our classes and events
- Support those working to defund the police and invest in communities, especially marginalized ones where much of the policing occurs (listen to this podcast on Throughline on NPR)
May we be agents of change in whatever way we can right now and always.
Stay engaged and stay well,
Scott & Chandra
chandra easton & scott blossom
work together and individually, offering courses on the subjects of
hatha yoga, ayurveda, and buddhism.
