BLACK LIVES MATTER
That's not up for debate. This page is intended to share actions and information to educate. The time estimates are not so we can pat ourselves on the back for spending 2 hours reading. They are to give you estimates of how long the actions will take so you can schedule more of them into your week.
As you do this work remember your yoga practice, your fitness classes. There will be discomfort. There may be pain. There may be tears. There may be tension and stress. But hopefully there will be release, there will be change. We will not change our (harmful, ill) habits without adjustments and added pressure. This matters. This is yoga: union, yoking, unifying. May you be open. May you be strong. May you be connected.
SIGN A PETITION
Sign a Petition to Demand Justice for Black People who have been murdered. It's that straight forward. Read the petitions to familiarize yourself with these cases.
REGISTER TO VOTE
1) Watch the 4 minute video below.
2) Check your voter registration / register to vote for the first time.
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3) Write one email. It only has to be a couple of sentences long but unique emails to your representatives, lawmakers, political candidates, police chiefs, etc. is less likely to be filtered out than a mass email you copy/paste or simply sign your name to.
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INFORM YOURSELF
Start doing some research. Listen to what black people are telling you, this is their knowledge. If you are on social media diversify your feed: seek suggestions for accounts to follow. Familiarize yourself with these people, organizations, and non-profits. They have done the work to explain what systematic racism is, to give you action steps, to tell you how to talk to your family about race. Take and hour and read as much as you can. Put a podcast on while you work. Try.
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Rachel Cargle
See Also: White Feminism
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Defund the Police (30min, strong language)
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NEW TED Talk, What is Anti-Racist?
KEEP LEARNING
Keep going. Read, watch, listen.
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You Can't Touch My Hair, by Phoebe Robinson
13th, Directed by Ava DuVernay, on Netflix or this link on YouTube
So You Want to Talk About Race, by Ijeoma Oluo
The Hate You Give, by Angie Thomas, also a movie adaptation
How to Be Black, by Baratunde Thurston
Stamped from the Beginning, by Ibram X. Kendi (also a young adult adaptation)
How to Be Anti-Racist by Ibram X. Kendi (available on Audible, too)
When They See Us, Directed by Ava DuVernay, Mini Series on Netflix
James Baldwin, Purchase from Massachusetts, Black Owned Bookstore Frugal
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Just Added:
His Name is George Floyd by Robert Samuels and Toluse Olorunnipa
THERE'S MORE
There are more resources. We don't have any authority on this matter to choose what is the "best" resource, where is the right place to start. This is far from complete or comprehensive to the vast challenges presently or ahead of us. This may be a jumping off point. We simply aim to amplify black and melinated voices.
Continue to have conversations in your family, with your colleagues and friends. Keep showing up.
We may want to look away but we must not.
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If you have corrections, resources, or questions, please contact us
contact@northadamsyoga.com
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What we are doing: we are all actively listening and learning via many of the previous resources but also by attending webinars both for the wellness industry and otherwise. We are attending training around gender and race bias. If you would like detailed information on which trainings and webinars we are attending, message us. We are reevaluating the language we use and environment we create at the studio based on the information we learn, including music that is played.
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We prioritize scholarships for people of color and indigenous people, as well as refugees and those who are underrepresented in yoga. We are happy to help you find a black yoga teacher if that is a better fit for you.
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Thank you to those who have taught us, both knowingly and unknowingly.
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