As a yoga studio with a platform and a wide reach, we wanted to share with you some educational materials that we personally have learnt from and also some that have been sent our way by teachers and friends of the studio. This list is by absolutely no means exhaustive and we will continue to update regularly and would love to hear your suggestions too.
Read:
Me and White Supremacy by Layla Saad.
“Most of you will be familiar with this title by now, and after reading it over the last two days I cannot recommend it enough. This book invites us to look deeper within ourselves and our systems than ever before to acknowledge and dismantle white supremacy. Saad has been kind enough to provide us with a guide with daily tasks (which can be taken at the readers own pace) to look at our white privilege, how we may have acted in the past and how we can take accountability and break down systemic racism.” – Helena
I Need to Talk to Spiritual White Women About White Supremacy Part 1 & 2 by Layla Saad
A must read by the same author for any white women working within the spiritual and wellness industry.
White Fragility: Why It’s So Hard To Talk About Race by Robin DiAngelo
“White Fragility: Why It’s So Hard To Talk About Race – I haven’t read this yet but it was recommended to me by my sister’s friend who is a white brit living in the US married with children to a Black woman.” – Mary. It’s also worth noting that Robin DiAngelo wrote the forward for Me and White Supremacy.
These Books Can Help You Explain Racism and Protest to Your Kids – Jessica Grose
An article from the NY Times about why we need to start this conversation early with excellent children book recommendations.
Listen:
“Interesting and informative conversations about race and how it impacts every part of society, from politics to pop culture, history, sports and everything else! The episode The Limits of Empathy tells the story of a woman who disguised herself as a black person in order to experience racism and immediately calls out the idea that a white person could potentially have a louder voice on the experience of black people then actual black people.” – Mary
“A serial podcast that delves into the deeper meanings of prominent albums by black artists. I particularly appreciated the series on Beyonce’s Lemonade which explores black relationships, slavery, BLM and the multitude of references to oppression vocalised through this album.” – Helena
Recommended by friend of the studio Cat, Yoga is Dead is a podcast that explores power, privilege, fair pay, harassment, race, cultural appropriation and capitalism in the yoga and wellness worlds.
Watch:
Recently made free to watch on Netflix, 13th by Ava DuVernay explores racism, oppression and the criminal (in)justice system in America and how it has stemmed from slavery.
“This film is something that I watched last year with my family in Aus and it really touched us all, I highly recommend it and it speaks for itself. There is deep shame in the history of Australia and there is a pathway forward into healing” – Kitty
Follow:
An online and print based publication committed to sharing perspectives from women & non-binary people of colour
“One of the most impactful and confronting accounts that completely opened my eyes to how white people disempower black communities with missionary work and white saviour complex.” – Mary