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reflections: my voice  Winter Thoughts: Privilege & Responsibility December, 2007 As 2007 comes to a close, I am aware of the many gifts in life: good health, friendship, a roof over my head, organic food on my table. I am aware of my privileged opportunities: the opportunity to meditate, to practice yoga, eat well, to visit friends and family...the list goes on. I am also aware of great suffering in our local communities. I live in urban Oakland. On our street alone, we’ve had two fatal shootings this year, one of which happened while I was home. Both victims were young African American men. Our block has also seen several break-ins, two of which were downstairs in our neighbor’s apartment. I have had a myriad of internal reactions to the shootings and break-ins as a white woman. One of them has been the “white flight” syndrome. The desire to run to the “safe” neighborhoods or states where crime like this is minimal has been strong. But the underlying issues of racism and economic disparity haunt my mind. As someone who wants to help transform an unjust system I feel overwhelmed. I’ve been asking myself, “What can I do?” all fall. In December, I met my dear friend Almaz for lunch, and she offered me a small step in the right direction. I have known Almaz for 17 years, and she is like a sister to me. She is smart and fiery and passionate. When she speaks, I listen. And so it was over lunch that she told me about her new position as Director at Women’s Initiative, a local Bay Area non-profit that empowers low-income women to create and sustain new businesses. Many of the women are women of color and a good percentage of them live in Oakland, as well as surrounding areas. I immediately had the feeling that this could be a good way to make a difference in my own community. My husband and I decided to donate to Women’s Initiative because it is a program that empowers people to be self sustaining by teaching them how to run their own businesses. But the question of how I can make a difference when it comes to racism and economic disparity is something I’ve been thinking about for years (see poetry on this site). I have no major answers, but I have found yoga and meditation have taught me to keep my heart and mind and to look at my own internalized racism. In what ways am I participating in this system without even knowing it? How do I continuously keep my eyes open and my heart full of compassion to others and their struggles? This seems like a lifelong practice. As Martin Luther King said, “When we let freedom ring, when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God's children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual, "Free at last! free at last! thank God Almighty, we are free at last!” Still, I sit with the questions of safety in my neighborhood, my own fears and anxieties about living here. But this is our home. We don’t want to leave. My husband and I have decided to stay, to enjoy our cozy home and to put our efforts into getting to know our neighbors and being more involved. I am keenly aware that there is no truly “safe” place. It is a risk to be alive, so the best bet is to stay alert to the inner and outer environments and keep our hearts open to our own experience alongside those of others. May you all walk into 2008 with inspiration and love in your hearts. Namaste, Diane |
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