Hello Folks, 

 

The previous email that got sent was my draft, this is the correct final version! 

 

I hope this email finds you all well. It's been a while since I've sent a newsletter, and I wanted to send a short note to stay in touch and say hello. It's unbelievable to watch what has happened in the world over the past three months. First, the pandemic struck, forcing people to change their lives in ways that we probably didn't think possible a few months ago: no going outside, seeing friends or family? a global shut down from flying? No more driving? Work from home? Somehow the world got behind it and undertook an austerity that previously would have seemed unimaginable. It hasn't been a kind experience for many (40 million lost jobs in America alone, and over 432,000 deaths globally, we all see the numbers) and continues to make an impact that we will see unfold over the months and years to come. 

 

And then George Floyd was murdered in Minneapolis. Eight minutes and forty-six seconds of the now former police office Derek Chauvin's knee on his neck, while three other police officers looked on. It was more than his life could take, and more than the world could take. In cities large and small in America and around the globe people exploded out from the lockdowns to scream and cry for justice for Black lives. I don't think that White people have felt so strongly for Black and Brown lives ever before, and I know that I am being educated in ways that are greatly impacting me. Lili has been instrumental in guiding me towards resources that are making me realize the importance of engaging in deep and personal work, and that work starts with examining myself. Together with Lili, Jocelyne and I have been going to the marches, listening, reading, and changing.

 

Dr. Gail Parker, who has recently come out with a book on race, trauma, and yoga, gave me some homework during a conversation we had on IG Live. She said, "You need to ask yourself, what does it feel like to be white? What is the experience of being a white person?" I had never thought of that question. I had thought about the injustices and discrimination I have seen towards Black people, towards my friends like the Urban Yogis, but I hadn't thought about what it felt like to walk around the world in white skin. Being Black is not just about skin color. It is about identity and a culture. A Black person knows that. White people tend to take Whiteness for granted, and in contemplating her question, I realized that by feeling and examining that reality of mine, I could be ready to support Black racial justice in a more honest, complete and vulnerable way. Until you own your own racial and cultural identity as a White person, you can't help others, even if the knowing yourself is simply knowing the color of your skin. 

 

How can I participate in conversations about race that are constructive and healing? How can I not be a part of a problem that I do not realize I am a part of? Gail suggested a powerful thought: why did White people not identify with the police officer who killed George Floyd? Black people all over the world felt George Floyd's death as though it happened to them because of group consciousness. It’s part of the culture. Black people identify with George Floyd and every black death. On the other hand, White people tend to compartmentalize and say, "that's not me, that officer is not my people." Individualism is part of White culture. But that officer is my people. And if I compartmentalize that person away from me, it's one of the ways that these horrible actions can continue, and that's not how we create a community of care. Seeing Derek Chauvin as “other" is the perfect excuse for me to stay quiet. But if I see him as part of my body, as part of my culture, then I can say, "No. That is not right. You cannot do that." So, I can march as White person not only to support Black lives, but to challenge the culture of White individualism that contributes to violence. 

 

In Yoga, we want one settled body, one settled nervous system, to connect with another. We are in control of our bodies, but not the bodies of others. We all know that self-knowledge is the name of the game in yoga, but sometimes we try to skip the hard problems and go straight to unity consciousness. However, the world is made up of an immense diversity of experience, of beings. The purpose of yoga is two-fold: experience and liberation. Experience comes first, and part of that experience is to appreciate, love, be in awe of the diversity of expressions that the world offers, including the diversity of skin color, racial and ethnic identity, and cultural identity. Whitewashing means to make everything the same. To pretend to see beyond. But it is that very pretending to see beyond that negates someone else's existence. So, see color, respect identity, understand and appreciate your own culture, as well as the culture of others.   Acknowledging the color of a person’s skin, including your own if you are white, means acknowledging the skin color hierarchy that elevates so called white skin above all others, and knowing that is the root of injustice.

 

When Black people say “Black is beautiful” it is the affirmation of the existence and beauty of dark skin, racial identity, and culture. To say "I don't see color” or, “I see Black lives, but I don’t see my own Whiteness” is to negate all of that.     

 

So, that's one of the reasons why Black lives matter. Because Black lives and therefore Black culture exists. And yes, we all exist, but we all exist only when we realize that equality means to affirm one another’s existence even when it’s different from your own.   

 

With love,

Eddie

 

A special thank you to Dr. Gail Parker for reading a draft of this newsletter and making edits and suggestions and reminding me that this is about much more than skin color, it is about identity and culture.