Awakening White Awareness: An Insight Dialogue and Race Equity Program

Instructor(s): Judy Bernstein, Susie Clarion, Holly Nelson-Johnson, and Michele Zukerberg

Program Description:

Watch a Video Invitation

Please Join Us: Judy Bernstein, Susie Clarion, Holly Nelson-Johnson, and Michele Zukerberg as we offer Awakening White Awareness: An Insight Dialogue and Race Equity Program for White-Bodied People. This nine-week series integrates the transformative Buddhist practice of Insight Dialogue (relational mindfulness) with anti-racism education. We will explore and co-create white anti-racist culture within a dedicated, compassionate community of study and practice. Through present-moment awareness we may better understand the impact of racism and our own cultural conditioning without judgment. 

Racism is rooted in greed, hatred, and delusion. Racism is both historical, as well as contemporary. Unless examined, it will continue to cause harm. This program is our fervent wish to lessen that suffering. 

How might our uninvestigated cultural conditioning as white-bodied people contribute to harm for ourselves and others? We will inquire into what it means to be white with curiosity and kind awareness. The Brahmaviharas of lovingkindness, compassion, joy, and equanimity may serve as antidotes to racialized suffering. They support us in meeting and transforming our conditioning as white-bodied people. These qualities expand and connect our individual awareness to collective awakening. 

Content: Each two-hour session will include an introduction, dharma talk, guided meditation, introduction of an Insight Dialogue guideline, and breakout/large-group practice to harvest insights. In preparation for each session you’ll engage with weekly home study materials which may include articles, audio recordings, and/or videos.

For Whom: All levels welcome, whether new or experienced in anti-racism study or the practice of Insight Dialogue. Awakening White Awareness is a way to begin again, to step into something bigger than oneself: into collective transformation. 

Together let us hold an intention for cultivating respect and kindness towards all beings in order to live connected, wakeful lives. Let’s invest in becoming a community rooted in peace, resting in wisdom, and opening wide our hearts towards freedom. We look forward to learning together.

Prerequisites:

This program is for people who self-identify as white-bodied only.

PLEASE NOTE: An interview is REQUIRED prior to acceptance into the program.

Once you submit your registration, you will be contacted by a member of the Awakening White Awareness team to schedule an interview. Please be sure to include a phone number at which we can reach you. If you are accepted into the program, your registration fee will be held as your program tuition. If you are not offered a space in the program, you will receive a full refund.

Online Schedule:

This program is hosted on Zoom and closed captions are available. You can check the time of the group sessions in your timezone here: https://www.worldtimebuddy.com. The schedule of Zoom meetings for this program (shown in US Eastern Time) is as follows:

Meeting Time: Thursdays, 6:00 - 8:00 pm ET

Meeting Dates: February 29, March 7, 14, 21, 28, April 4, 11, 18, 25

Please note that sessions will not be recorded.

Cancellation Policy:

Registration fees for all online programs are nonrefundable after the program start date. Cancellations prior to the program start date incur a $25 cancellation fee. Application-based and online path programs incur a $50 cancellation fee in 2023 and a $100 cancellation fee beginning 2024.

DEI:

As we work to become a more diverse, equitable, and inclusive community, we invite feedback/suggestions you may have regarding ways that we can make participation in the program more accessible and welcoming. Please email us at contact@buddhistinquiry.org.

About the Instructor(s):
• 

  Judy Bernstein

  A licensed psychologist, Judy Bernstein, has been practicing Vipassana meditation and exploring the intersection between Buddhism and psychology since 2000. She is a certified instructor of the Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction program, an instructor of the Interpersonal Mindfulness program, and a recognized facilitator of Insight Dialogue. Judy serves as a trustee for the Community Coalition on Race in her New Jersey town.

• 

  Susie Clarion

  Susie Clarion holds a graduate degree in Transpersonal Studies from the Institute of Transpersonal Psychology. She is a psychiatric RN and a retired acupuncture detox specialist. Susie has been practicing Vipassana since 1986 and completed the Community Dharma Leader training at Spirit Rock in 2002. She is a recognized Insight Dialogue Teacher and has been offering the practice since 2010. She is profoundly inspired by her anti-racist training in Somatic Abolition with Education for Racial Equality. Susie makes her home in Montana, USA.

• 

  Holly Nelson-Johnson

  Holly Nelson-Johnson is a Family Nurse Practitioner, recognized Insight Dialogue Teacher, certified teacher of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction, and Interpersonal Mindfulness. She has been practicing Vipassana for over twenty-five years. Holly has a particular interest in Buddhist-Christian dialogue and contemplative practices. As a life-long learner, Holly is passionate about building community and belonging across cultures. Holly lives with her family in Illinois, USA.

• 

  Michele Zukerberg

  Michele Zukerberg is an Insight Dialogue Facilitator with an extensive background working at the intersection of natural resource management with race and gender equity. She holds a Master of Forestry degree from Duke University and is a Certified Mediator with the Washington Mediation Association and the Dispute Resolution Center of Thurston County. Michele has been offering Insight Dialogue since 2015, and practicing Vipassana meditation for more than fifteen years.