This episode is my initial perspective on the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Affirmative Action.
I've been wrestling with this!
Yes, affirmative action was helpful.
Yes, I am grateful for my life and every opportunity that affirmative action subtly nudged open for me.
Yes, it is a loss.
But I'm wrestling because that's not all I want to say here.
I also want to say:
There's an underside to affirmative action.
Namely, the belief that "good" or "liberal" white people were "giving" me something that I had not earned or that my community was too bereft to give me.
Affirmative action did not shift the power dynamics.
Affirmative action was not reparations.
Affirmative action did not free us..
James Baldwin said:
'Freedom is not something that anybody can be given. Freedom is something people take, and people are as free as they want to be.'
We are only as free as our consciousness allows us to want to be.
Consciousness refers to the mindset and heartset that we bring to every situation–even how we see ourselves.
I agree with Bob Marley who said, "Emancipate yourself from mental slavery. None but ourselves can free our minds."
So, how do I free myself?
I practice "slowing down" to listen to nature and my ancestors rather than CNN.
I notice that we walk in spirals.
I ask myself questions:
How do I meet this current version of the challenge to be free?
What deeper understanding about freedom, interdependence, and decolonization can I bring to this moment?
On this episode I share what Dandelion Spirit guided me to do about the overturning of affirmative action.
Here's just a snippet of what I received from Dandelion Spirit:
Allow the unknown to emerge...
Ask Questions
Wake up
Follow the scent
It's on the wind
We are dandelion; we follow the wind
What questions does it make you or let you ask?
I encourage you to slow down to catch the scent of the deeper implications and possibilities.
Don't let influencers do your thinking for you.
There may be a drive to go fast; to act fast; decide fast.
When I go fast it's usually because my core abandonment wound has been activated:
Fear of losing love and protection-and enduring hunger and neglect.
Slow down.
Be independent.
Pay attention to what you are feeding your consciousness.
"None but ourselves can free our minds."
If this resonates with you--join me for more on Friday, July 7.
"5 Signs It's Time to Slow Down your Racial Justice and Regenerate"
Slow down, ask questions and catch the scent with me!
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