Modernity is a disconnection engine. It came into being when Indigenous and ancestral cultures were displaced by colonizing nations, and we live in the historic rupture that ensued. In the United States, this country is land stolen from its Indigenous inhabitants, an economy built from the blood and sweat of its displaced African inhabitants. Yet taking responsibility for this so deeply threatening to the established order, that President Trump in September issued an executive order banning diversity training on gender and racial bias, calling it a 'malign ideology.' At the present time, federal agencies that run diversity trainings run the risk of losing funding, and penalties for the violation of the executive order by contractors carry the risk of debarment or blacklisting from government contracts. Since when has it been illegal, in the United States, to have a conversation about truth in history?

If you are taking this course, congratulations on having the gumption to look reality in the face. It is a courage our present administration does not have. If you are able to look humbly in the mirror, what you see is likely not only to surprise you, but to help you.

Welcoming to the Becoming Anti-Racist course for White folks.

-Gabriel Kram
Founder and CEO, Applied Mindfulness, Inc.