Don’t Do Nothing

06.26.2020 DON’T DO NOTHING Last fall while driving my son to school, I took a shortcut I’d never tried before and was immediately pulled over by a police officer for making an illegal left hand turn between the hours of 7 and 9 a.m. What struck me as I was pulled over was not what I felt but what I didn’t feel: fear. As a white middle-class woman, it never occurred to me to rehearse how to handle a situation with a cop. I didn’t worry about keeping my hands visible at all times, nor did I worry about my teenage son sitting next to me doing so either.    In her book, So You Want to Talk About Race, author Ijeoma OIuo talks about the fear she’s experienced when “being pulled over for driving while Black.” Not only is she careful not to make a move without the officer’s permission, she sends out a quick Tweet to let her friends know she’s been pulled over in case she doesn’t make it out alive.   Four years ago, Buddhadharma published an issue focused on racism and white privilege, which exist not only in society at large but in our Buddhist communities as well. The issue was conceived in the wake of an alarming number of police killings of mostly young Black men. In her article, “Where Will You Stand?” Rev. angel Kyodo williams talked about it as “the ‘back of the bus’ moment of our time.” She went on to say, “If you have ever wondered how you would have shown up in the face of the challenge put before white America when Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat, upending the accepted social order, now is the time you will find out.”    Her words resonate even more loudly today following the police killing of George Floyd.    So how can white people — white practitioners — show up? That’s the question many are asking these days. The most helpful answer I’ve heard was from a young Black man speaking recently at an anti-racism rally. He asked anyone in the crowd who had never experienced racism to put up their hands. As we held our hands up, he asked us to look around at one another and told us we were the ones who needed to do something about racism. And if we didn’t know what to do, he implored us, “Don’t do nothing.”   Eradicating racism isn’t the responsibility of those who experience it, but rather is the responsibility of those who don’t. It starts by understanding that we are part of the problem.    In “Facing My White Privilege,” Tara Brach shares how she thought she was pretty conscious about racism and white privilege until it was pointed out to her that there were some big gaps in her awareness. In “Waking Up to Whiteness,” Greg Snyder discusses the need to deeply examine our relationship to white identity. “As we do so,” says Snyder, “we come to see how we are involved in creating bodies and minds that are racialized, separate, and oppressed, and we see how we are invested in that separation.”   But self-knowledge isn’t enough to overthrow institutional racism and the violence it begets. We must also act. As Snyder explains, “When it comes to white supremacy and the harm it continues to cause all of us, we white Buddhists must give up the privilege of sitting this one out.”    In other words, “Don’t do nothing.”   —Tynette Deveaux, editor, Buddhadharma

Where Will You Stand? If we are to uphold the dharma, says Rev. angel Kyodo williams, we must stand up to racism and expose its institutionalized forms — even in our Buddhist communities. The work of dharma communities is the same work of the America that wants to live up to its promise of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. It is to kick the habit of racism, cultural dominance, and upholding oppressive systems. More poignantly, our challenge, our responsibility, our deep resounding call is to be at the forefront of this overdue evolutionary thrust forward. Why? Because we chose to position ourselves as the standard-bearers of an ethical high ground. And we have the tools and teachings to do so.

Facing My White Privilege When Tara Brach came to recognize her own white privilege, it revealed painful blind spots. That changed her as a dharma teacher and leader. It takes effort to know what happened and to know our part in it. But it’s not about shaming people. In fact, one of the things I find inspiring about the very beautiful movements that have been emerging, especially among the frontline communities that make up Black Lives Matter, is the focus on love. For the folks fighting against oppression, self-love is a central force, and that’s true for all of us. We’ve got to love ourselves and each other through this. If white people are going to have the courage and honesty to look at where we’re holding on to dominance or enjoying our privilege, we also have to find a way to forgive ourselves. We are not personally bad; we are part of the collective conditioning. And yet we can be responsible and respond in whatever way is called for.

Waking Up to Whiteness For our practice to have meaning in today’s world, says Greg Snyder, it must include a thorough understanding of our racial identities and their impact. This is particularly urgent for white practitioners. The world transformation for which we chant, pray, bow, and meditate will only come to pass when we fully realize there is no living from love that does not include an urgency to end harm and ensure liberation for all. And there is no thorough liberation not dependent on fearlessly living from love. Thankfully, meditation allows us to take full responsibility for our minds, but it is the bodhisattva vow and our turning toward the liberation of all that allows us to take full responsibility for our hearts.

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