Mindfulness, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
Statement on Social Injustice and Racial Inequity
The Midwest Alliance for Mindfulness stands in solidarity with communities that have been historically marginalized, disenfranchised, and terrorized through discrimination and hatred. We recognize our responsibility to uphold social justice, embody compassion, and bring transformative awareness to the ignorance and delusion that allow discrimination and hatred to flourish. The continuing inequity and violence we see in this country and elsewhere is evidence that we haven’t done enough and there is more we must do.
We believe that Black Lives Matter and we mourn the loss of Daunte Wright, George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, Dominique Clayton, Tamir Rice and countless other Black people throughout history to white violence. We condemn the anti-Asian violence that surged in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, anti-immigrant rhetoric driven by bigotry and xenophobic ideologies, the rollback of LGBTQ+ nondiscrimination protections, and the increase in violence against transgender and gender non-conforming people in this country.
We pledge our commitment to ongoing diversity, equity, inclusion, belonging, advocacy, allyship and activism initiatives that evolve as circumstances change and as new needs arise. We are committed to a mindful way of living; this includes waking up to injustice and recognizing our personal and shared responsibility for eliminating it. This also means taking committed action that supports social justice, diversity, equity, and inclusion. We hope you will stand in mindful and compassionate solidarity with us.
Land Acknowledgement
The Midwest Alliance for Mindfulness acknowledges the homelands of Native Nations in our region in order to help educate ourselves, raise awareness in our community, and correct a whitewashed version of history that elevates colonialism, while making past and present injustices against, as well as the labor and resilience of Indigenous Peoples largely invisible. We also wish to offer recognition and respect to American Indians as past, present and future caretakers of the land we now inhabit together.
The physical location of Midwest Alliance for Mindfulness (“38° 55′ 41” North by 94° 38′ 53” West) resides on land now called Leawood, KS. We humbly acknowledge that this is land seized from Kansa, Kickapoo, Osage, and Oceti Sakowin [oh-CHEH-tee SHAW-koh-we] people. Through this recognition, may we and others have greater awareness of the causes and effects of greed and insatiability, and the harm – particularly to Indigenous people and their land – that these cause. We offer deep gratitude for the ancestors and keepers of this land. We hope to honor all they have taught and continue to teach us about creating peaceful and mindful ways of living in harmony with Mother Earth and its inhabitants. Our commitments in support of Native Nations and environmental stewardship are ever evolving – read more here.
Our mission depends upon a sincere commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, belonging, advocacy, allyship and activism. Peace begins within each individual, yet true compassion arises with the understanding that we are profoundly interconnected – that our happiness is inseparable. From the very beginning, the Midwest Alliance for Mindfulness (MAM) has been committed to valuing differences, dismantling inequities, and cultivating belonging – it’s built into the very framework of our organization and the services we provide. We recognize this is an ongoing journey and we continue to learn from and grow with each new experience.
Examples of diversity Initiatives:
- MAM has a Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, Belonging, and Advocacy Committee that meets regularly to help keep us accountable to our mission.
- We work to keep our services and offerings non-sectarian. MAM is unaffiliated with any religious tradition, yet we are welcoming of all perspectives.
- We created an ever-evolving definition of mindfulness that we intend to be accessible to and inclusive of all backgrounds and viewpoints.
- MAM teachers are trained and pursue continuing education in Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, Belonging, and Advocacy and trauma informed mindfulness. Many of our teachers are also mental health professionals by training and a number of our teachers have lived experience as members of groups that are traditionally under-represented in mindfulness training.
- All of our classes are trauma informed by default unless specifically noted and we can offer Affinity Groups for People of Color, Latinx and Spanish speakers, the LGBTQIA+ community, and people with disabilities by demand.
- We offer public classes and continuing education for mindfulness professionals directly addressing Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, Belonging, and Advocacy and trauma.
- Our practice space and building are ADA compliant and we can enable live closed captioning for our online offerings upon advance request.
- MAM is founder of and 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.
- We conduct Community Needs Assessments to stay informed about Kansas City’s most pressing concerns so we can tailor our offerings toward providing the most relevant and impactful services possible.
- We are addressing socioeconomic inequities by working hard to keep our costs as low as possible and through giving back to the community. We offer:
- Pay What You Can Passes
- FREE Community Events
- Scholarships for our Mindfulness Teacher Training Certification 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.
- In solidarity with a number of likeminded local organizations, we support Girls on the Run of Greater Kansas City and WIN for KC in opposition to legislation that would ban transgender athletes from participating in sports. Such legislation limits access and diminishes the health, wellness and vitality of our communities https://www.sportkc.org/letthemplaykc
Building an Inclusive Community: Mindfulness Affinity Groups
The Midwest Alliance for Mindfulness (MAM) values diversity and understands the importance of supporting an inclusive community. In alignment with our core values, we have been fortunate to be able to offer a number of affinity groups here in Kansas City.
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 offer 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. You can also find affinity groups 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 have been fortunate to be able to offer affinity groups for people of color, Spanish speakers, those who identify as LGBTQIA+, people with disabilities, and first responders as available teachers and community demand allows. We have also been able to offer gender based programs, ACT courses for those who identify as Highly Sensitive People, mindfulness of white identity and social justice workshops, yoga classes for people in recovery, and classes designed especially for caregivers. These groups are offered in addition to (and not instead of) our more general classes and offerings that are 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 have 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 have been under the mistaken assumption that people from the identity groups and intersections represented by our affinity groups have to attend those specific groups and that only those who identify as part of the majority should attend the general groups. This is absolutely not true. The affinity groups are there for people who want them and feel they would benefit from them. They are not an either/or, but a both/and option. We feel these groups add value and contribute to the overall diversity and unity of the community.
According to MAM LGBTQIA+ Community Teacher Angela 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.
MAM is only able to offer these groups to the extent that we have trained teachers available in our community who represent them and enough people who are willing to attend the meetings. If you are interested in participating in affinity groups or you just feel invested in having them available in our community, please help us spread the word. We would love to welcome you and anyone who is willing into our practice space.
How Can We Help You Know You Belong?
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Listen to Sydney Spears, PhD talking about the importance of DEI in mindfulness training:
Listen to Sydney Spears, PhD talking with David Treleaven about the relationship between trauma and social oppression and the role mindfulness and compassion can play in healing them both:
I rest within and honor the labor of my teachers, ancestors, guides, and mentors. I will trust the Ceremony, submit to the Ritual, and abide according to the needs of my Mourning.
I finally realize that I am no longer of this world but understand that there are experiences of the world inside me and it is these experiences that I vow to surrender back to the world as they are not mine any longer to hold on to.
I am no longer afraid of the spirit world and welcome those spirits who wish to benefit me while understanding how I may benefit them. I have no use for spirits who seek to hurt others or myself. You are no longer welcomed.
I offer the things, ideas, beliefs, and relationships that are no longer conducive to my liberation back to themselves. I am no longer interested in being everyone’s friend or everyone liking me. Nor am I trying to be your teacher. I am not everyone’s teacher.
I take refuge in my weirdness, blackness, queerness, pleasure, and all of my complexity while also knowing that I am sacred AF. My sacredness no longer needs your consent.
I continue to free myself first, yet as I attend to my freedom, may I offer what is appropriate and within my realization to beings and the world.
I am finally realizing my wings are free from dust and now the love of the Mother is moving me on. I also return to the teachings of my ancestors, so I continue to wash, cry, laugh, watch, fight, and pray. I enter into this new life rejoicing.
– Lama Rod Owens, 7 Declarations for My 40th Year of Life