I want to practice with people like myself. I feel comfortable around nappy hair and locks. Accented voices are soothing to me. Looking around at brown and yellow faces, I feel at home…In most of my environments—work, school, and social—I am the only African American present and, many times, the only non-white…In my sangha, however, where I may reveal my innermost feelings—my joys, pains, and fears—I want to feel safe, free, and supported in a way that I don’t yet feel within the dominant culture…White people generally have no idea how it feels to be one among many, as most can choose to function in all-white settings…For those raised among their own ethnic groups, adjustments and accommodations must be made in order to blend in. One must always be conscious of one’s speech and mannerisms and the need to appear unthreatening. One’s ethnicity must be submerged or moderated.
—Robin Hart, from “Making the Invisible Visible: Healing Racism in Our Buddhist Communities”
The Buddha taught that all humans are subject to illness, aging, loss, and death; however, those targeted by institutional oppression experience shortened lives, lesser resources, and a constant barrage of physical and psychological attacks in addition to the normal vicissitudes of the body This means that BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color), LGBTQIQ+ (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans, Queer, Intersex, and Questioning) or queer people, working-class individuals, disabled people, and the elderly don’t always feel safe in gatherings of those with dominant-culture power and privilege. The response,
