When we came together as an organization we understood that our mission depended upon a sincere commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, belonging, advocacy, allyship and activism. We believe that true compassion arises with the understanding that we are profoundly interconnected – that our happiness is inseparable. So, from the very beginning, the Midwest Alliance for Mindfulness (MAM) was committed to valuing differences, dismantling inequities, and cultivating belonging – it was built into the very framework of our organization and the services we provided.

Examples of diversity Initiatives:

• Our services and offerings were non-sectarian. MAM was unaffiliated with any religious tradition, yet we were welcoming of diverse religious and spiritual perspectives.
• We created an ever-evolving definition of mindfulness that we intend to be accessible to and inclusive of diverse backgrounds and viewpoints.
• MAM teachers were trained and pursue continuing education in Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, Belonging, and Advocacy and trauma informed mindfulness. Many of our teachers were also mental health professionals by training and a number of our teachers identified as members of groups that are traditionally under-represented in mindfulness training.
• All of our classes were trauma informed by default unless specifically noted and we offered affinity groups for People of Color, Latinx and Spanish speakers, the LGBTQIA+ community, and people with disabilities as demand allowed.
• We offered public classes and continuing education for mindfulness professionals directly addressing Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, Belonging, and Advocacy and trauma.
• We prioritized practice spaces that were ADA compliant.
• Live closed captioning was available for our online offerings well before it was ubiquitous.
• We conducted Community Needs Assessments to stay informed about our local area’s most pressing concerns to help us tailor our offerings toward providing the most relevant and impactful services possible.
• We addressed socioeconomic inequities by keeping our costs low and through giving back to the community. We offered:
  • Pay What You Can Passes
  • FREE Community Events
  • Scholarships for our Mindfulness Teacher Training programs to help increase diversity among mindfulness teachers
  • Pro bono talks and donation based events to support local charities and social service agencies
• Our resources offer guided meditations for People of Color, Spanish speakers, and people who are deaf or hard of hearing.
• MAM convened a Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, Belonging, and Advocacy Committee on an as needed basis to help keep us accountable to our mission.
• In solidarity with a number of likeminded local organizations, we supported Girls on the Run of Greater Kansas City and WIN for KC in opposition to legislation that attempted to ban transgender athletes from participating in sports. Such legislation limits access and diminishes the health, wellness and vitality of our communities.
• MAM was the founder of and a key contributor to the Mindful Kansas City initiative, making our city an inclusive place with a kind and welcoming culture in which people from all walks of life can thrive and flourish.

Building an Inclusive Community: Mindfulness Affinity Groups

In alignment with our core values, we were fortunate to be able to offer a number of affinity groups in Kansas City and online.

What is an affinity group?

An affinity group is made up of people who prefer, usually for reasons of comfort, ease of connection and/or safety, to gather with others who share a common identity, background, or interest. Larger mindfulness centers and those in bigger cities all around the country have offered these types of groups in an effort to provide a place of refuge for those who might otherwise not feel comfortable or welcome when entering a new mindfulness community. They have also been offered in organizations, schools, and businesses.

Affinity groups play an important role in ensuring a welcoming environment where all are valued, included, and empowered. At MAM we offered affinity groups for people of color, Spanish speakers, LGBTQIA+, people with disabilities, and first responders. We also offered gender based programs, courses for Highly Sensitive People and folks in recovery, and classes designed especially for caregivers. These groups were offered in addition to (and not instead of) our more general classes and offerings that were open to everyone.

Why are affinity groups helpful?
Affinity groups, when well attended and supported, can foster inclusion and equity through a support network of peers and allies. They can help attract greater diversity into the broader community and enhance overall experience through building awareness of different perspectives and experiences. They can also help advocate for social and organizational change to better meet the needs of all members. According to MAM co-founder Sydney Spears, PhD, “For SOME diverse people, it is very critical for them to have a context of sharing and experiencing with others whom they tend to identity with in order to develop a greater sense of safety, support, trust, belonging and connection – especially when perceived new or traditional ‘mainstreamed-based’ experiences are at hand.”

Busting myths and misperceptions:
Fortunately most people seem to understand the importance of offering groups like these, but there are a few who expressed some confusion. Here are our responses to the questions and concerns we’ve received.

MYTH: Affinity groups are unnecessary – Some people may feel that the best way to promote unity is to create a forced choice situation by only offering one type of community. What experience has shown us however, is that many folks just won’t show up under these constraints. According to Larry Yang, a meditation teacher with Spirit Rock, East Bay Meditation Center (Oakland) and Insight Community of the Desert (Palm Springs) who is committed to creating access for diverse multicultural communities, “The mainstream model of ‘If you build it, they will come’ has not worked as it unconsciously imposes dominant cultural values upon marginalized diverse communities.” Instead, meditation centers must do their best to support as many communities as possible as a path to inclusion.

Its very challenging for those of us who have never lived day in and day out, without any real option for escape, in an environment where we are the only person like us – especially when our particular identity (or set of intersections) is devalued, ignored or even aggressed against. Those of us whose identities are heavily represented in most of the places where we live, work, and play, can perhaps begin to empathize by imagining a time when we felt alone in a crowd, misunderstood, or disempowered. Think about the first time you walked into a meditation or yoga studio as a complete beginner. Remember how nervous and uncertain you felt? Maybe you found a spot in the back of the room and wondered if you really belonged there. Now imagine that, as soon as you walked in the door, it became very obvious to you that nobody else in the room reflected your particular reality. Or, imagine some of the things the teacher or other participants said or did were unintentionally hurtful or alienating because of their lack of understanding of your lived experience. Even if we stayed for the duration of the class, it’s very likely that most of us would simply not come back.

It wasn’t until I began sitting with a POC sangha that I felt seen finally and fully for having a skin color, a minority experience, and a double consciousness. I was not alone and my stories not uncommon. A sense of relief poured over every cell of my body as I began to hear other voices of marginalization, invisibility, accommodation, injustice, rage, and loss. I cried. I smiled. I felt. I knew. I relaxed. I am safe, and I am home. – Yenkuei Chuang

In his article No One Like Me, Lama Rod Owens said, “There are people of color who survive spaces where they are marginalized. I am one of those.” He relates how being in a space in which one feels insignificant or peripheral requires additional “emotional labor” just be in the room. This can get in the way of the practice people come to the space to do and can even lead to burnout. He added, “Integrating space is exclusively the burden of the marginalized and the under-represented, and working so hard at that level may not be conducive to the fruition of [practice].” Affinity groups help to reduce this burden so that practitioners can dedicate their energies to the practice they came for.

In her article for the Center for Mindful Self-Compassion blog, My First Experience as a Person of Color in MSC, Dr. Spears recounts how it felt to her when she was finally able to connect with others that appeared to share her identity in the practice space:
As I began to find my spot during the Mindful Self-Compassion training, I finally noticed two participants who appeared to be people of color. From the sheer sight of these two strangers, I began to experience a slight sense of silent connection to the space. Perhaps this was not just a “white thing” that was created by white people, for white people and delivered in a way that would focus exclusively on the white, upper-middle class, straight, cisgendered, able-bodied, colorblind experience of being in the world. There was a glimmer of some human technicolor in the space. Maybe there would be a possibility that this “compassion” experience might openly embrace all the dimensions of human suffering, including cultural experiences.

Noriko Harth, a Certified Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction & Mindful Self-Compassion Instructor and the Managing Director of UC San Diego Center for Mindfulness said of her experience: Until I sat with the People of Color Affinity Group for the first time during the 10-day Metta Retreat at Spirit Rock, I didn’t know how tense I may have been. I felt the ease, comfort and safety I had never felt before at any of the retreats and training programs I had attended.

MISPERCEPTION: Affinity groups are divisive – a couple of folks were under the mistaken assumption that people from the identity groups and intersections represented by our affinity groups had to attend those specific groups and that only those who identified as part of the majority could attend the general groups (which of course was not true). The affinity groups were there for people who wanted them and felt they would benefit from them. They were not an either/or, but a both/and option. We hoped those groups added value and contributed to the overall diversity and unity of the community.

According to MAM LGBTQIA+ Community Teacher Mickey Caruso-Yahne: It may be very difficult for some people who are having a different experience to know and understand it, but offering affinity groups and acknowledging the additional vulnerability and allostatic load faced by some people does the great service of removing one hindrance to practice for those who need it. We are explicitly offering a safe and affirming place for people to come and be supported in their practice of simply being… as they are… with no agenda… and no judgement… regardless of what is coming up for them.  I believe that gift will ripple out into the world in a way that benefits EVERYONE.