How Meditation Can Help Dismantle Racism
By Kara Dansky ~~~ I don’t remember a time when I wasn’t concerned about racism, at least on a certain level. Growing up as a child, I was taught to believe that racism is wrong, and that skin color doesn’t matter. I thought everyone believed this, and so I was taken aback when I had the following dialogue with a white friend in a sixth grade civics class in 1984: Me: If I were old enough to vote, I would totally vote for Jesse Jackson. Her: [Shocked expression] But he’s black! Me: [Shocked expression] What’s wrong with black people? Her: [Puzzled expression] Well nothing, I guess, but do you really want one of them to be President?? This is a friend I was very close to, and her words hurt. I understood at that moment that racism was very real. [This person voted for Barack Obama in 2008 and 2012, so I guess she ended up answering her own question.] Fast forward to my professional life engaging in criminal justice reform work. I started my …