Module 11 Materials
Buddhists in Minnesota during the trial of Derick Chauvin. ”BIPoC Buddhist leaders called us to sit in solidarity for healing and justice at the site of the Chauvin trial. For Daunte Wright, George Floyd, Sandra Bland, Breonna Taylor, Philando Castile, so many more. We do not have to keep doing the same things over and over again.” - Ben Connelly. Photo credit: Colleen Clish
Ten days after the Charleston church shooting in 2015, Bree Newsome climbed the South Carolina State House flag pole to remove the Confederate flag. She and an accomplice Jimmie Tyson, dressed as a construction worker, were arrested. They did not know each-other before this act of civil disobedience.
1) Anti-racist spiritual friendship
Sangharakashita - Why I am a Buddhist quote (1 page)
Bettina Love on conspirators vs. allies. (6 min)
2) Stages of white awakening for organizations
Continuum on Becoming an Anti-Racist Multicultural Organization, (1 page diagram but dense!)
(optional) Building Accountable Relationships with Communities of Color: Some Lessons Learned by the Pax Christi Anti-Racism Team, (8 pages), link here.
3) Learning from other sanghas on the journey
Statement of Recognition and Repentance from the Soto Zen Buddhist Association (1 page).
Larry Yang, excerpts from Awakening Together: Appendix 1 and 2 (8 pages)
Inclusion and Exclusion in the White Space: An Investigation of the Experiences of People of Color in a Primarily White American Meditation Community (2019), Craig N. Hase, James C. Meadows & Stephanie L. Budge, University of Wisconsin-Madison, link here.
Gratitude
We are grateful to learn from the authors whose materials are cited above. If you are able to support them by purchasing their books, this is encouraged. In particular:
Awakening Together by Larry Yang (2014).
Additional Resources
Buddha’s Teachings on Friendship (Pali Canon - selection)
With thanks to Doug Smith.
Some Triratna Sources on Spiritual Friendship
What is the Sangha? Sangharakshita (esp. chapter 16)
Buddhism and Friendship by Subhuti (out of print, sadly).
