The Inner Work of Racial Justice

Healing Ourselves and Transforming Our Communities Through Mindfulness

De: Rhonda V. Magee, Jon Kabat-Zinn - introduction

Narrado por: Rhonda V. Magee, Jon Kabat-Zinn

“Illuminates the very heart of social justice and how it might be approached and nurtured through mindfulness practices in community and through the discernment and new degrees of freedom these practices entrain.” --from the foreword by Jon Kabat-Zinn

In a society where unconscious bias, microaggressions, institutionalized racism, and systemic injustices are so deeply ingrained, healing is an ongoing process. When conflict and division are everyday realities, our instincts tell us to close ranks, to find the safety of those like us, and to blame others. This book profoundly shows that in order to have the difficult conversations required for working toward racial justice, inner work is essential. Through the practice of embodied mindfulness--paying attention to our thoughts, feelings, and physical sensations in an open, nonjudgmental way--we increase our emotional resilience, recognize our own biases, and become less reactive when triggered.

As Sharon Salzberg, New York Times-bestselling author of Real Happiness writes, “Rhonda Magee is a significant new voice I've wanted to hear for a long time—a voice both unabashedly powerful and deeply loving in looking at race and racism.” Magee shows that embodied mindfulness calms our fears and helps us to exercise self-compassion. These practices help us to slow down and reflect on microaggressions--to hold them with some objectivity and distance--rather than bury unpleasant experiences so they have a cumulative effect over time. Magee helps us develop the capacity to address the fears and anxieties that would otherwise lead us to re-create patterns of separation and division.

It is only by healing from injustices and dissolving our personal barriers to connection that we develop the ability to view others with compassion and to live in community with people of vastly different backgrounds and viewpoints. Incorporating mindfulness exercises, research, and Magee's hard-won insights, The Inner Work of Racial Justice offers a road map to a more peaceful world.

Inner Work of Racial JUSTICE

I enjoyed this book from beginning to end. It is excellently written, inspiring, and educational, prompting deep reflection on my own inner journey as a BIPOC woman and the profound impact of growing up in a racist society. The book provides valuable insights into mindfulness-based inner work and has helped me recognize and address my own biases, as well as their effects on others and myself. Additionally, it has empowered me to advocate for both myself and others.

I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in delving into aspects of our country's history and breaking free from the anguish of living within imposed beliefs of not belonging, undeservingness, and unfair treatment due to race. It serves as an instructional guide for personal growth, offering practical steps towards achieving inner peace and freedom. I believe it is essential for all of us, regardless of race, to engage in this work, as it sheds light on the struggles of BIPOC individuals globally and offers a path forward through radical racial understanding and action.

gentle

The narrator has a gentle voice as she presents very challenging perspectives that normally give rise to uncomfortable or defensive feelings. Dr. Magee encourages one to breathe and accept those emotions that might come up, examine them and move forward.

life changing

this book offers each of us the opportunity to look inward deeply. this is about doing the work to support sustainable change.

Deeply insightful & engaging

Magee took her time to not only convey the beauty of what her mindfulness practice has provided her in this life, but also her sincerest commitment to seeing the good in each and every one of us on the path to making our country and our world more racially just.

Informational. Humane.

What a gift to our society! A gift to oneself. I'm thankful Rhonda has dedicated her time and energy to bring us such a development.