All the best,

Tricia Hersey

I am a white, straight, cisgender, able-bodied, educated woman. I grew up in Philadelphia in the middle of the city​, ​ a product of the public school system of the 70s and 80s. ​Born into a time such that ​I didn't know there was segregation or desegregation. ​Simply attending the local public schools (Meredith, Masterman + Central)  I was in diverse environments from childhood. But that isn't enough!

Philadelphia Central High ​still ​ranks as the most, or one of the most diverse, high schools in the country.​  Y​et​,​ after 15 years of living in San Francisco​,​ it came to my attention that, "Yes, I too was racist." I didn't want to admit it​ then​, I don't want to minute now. And, as James Baldwin said “Not everything that is faced can be changed, but nothing can be changed until it is faced.” ​

Thus,  I am doing what I can to face racism, to own it and to transform the delusion of White Supremacy which is the foundation upon which this country is built.

We​.  Yes we.  I am taking ownership, not othering - yes, I know, you weren't there. I wasn't there either​,​ and yet their blood (the blood of ​enslaved Africans, the blood of Indigenous people, the blood of all the ​Black and brown folk in this country killed by the many tentacles of racism​)​ is on our hands.  Shirin Madjzoub said it well, "Racism is a disease. Getting sick was not our fault. Getting well is our responsibility​.​"

Deep gratitude to Nicole A. Cooke, Ph.D. the creator of Anti-Racism Resources for All Ages, for the inspiration to create this padlet with a focus on Mindfulness Meditation as a Path for awakening from the delusion of White Supremacy.