Editor’s Letter: Issue 21, Ruth King

Dear Best Selfers,

Go ahead, play the race card! It’s time to lay those cards out on the table in a new way — one that gets the blood pumping through the heart of humanity again. And we are all being called upon to attend.

Are you ready to show up?

So, how do we have the difficult life conversations? How do we talk about the stuff that makes us squirm? Racism does that to most of us.

I’m not going to sugar-coat the enormity I felt prepping for this interview. Not only did I want to honor the powerful work of meditation teacher, author and Mindful of Race diversity training coach, Ruth King — I wanted to plant a seed within anyone ready to sow new possibility — that we can do this differently, we can heal; the wounds of our lineage, our history and our own hearts.

Racism won’t resolve itself because we are heated up about it. It won’t resolve itself because we ignore its existence. However, a heart opening and healing can emerge if we agree to heed the call; to refrain from looking away, running to take cover, looking for battle or getting defensive. That is precisely the posturing that disconnects us from the ability to glean perspective. And perspective is our only way out.

The teachings of Ruth King are salve for the ailing soul. As she says, “racism is a heart disease and it’s curable.” And she wants to show us how.

It’s probably of no surprise to anyone that this is a heated, highly charged and complex subject. We come to the table with all kinds of preconceived notions, baggage and lineage. Yep, we’ve brought along our ancestry; the ideology and constructs of our families, what we were told, the things we downloaded, the beliefs of others. That’s a lot to bring to the discussion, particularly when it typically lands us in a gridlock.

But just because we think we may be ready to have the conversation, doesn’t mean we are ready. Ruth’s new book, Mindful of Race: Transforming Racism From The Inside Out is the conversation nutcracker. It provides us with the tools to first do our own work; to recognize the roots of our own ideology and where it’s led us.

This powerful book outlines the importance of understanding racial identity (both individual and group identity), dominant and subordinate group dynamics, how to break the cycle of habits of harm, the importance of racial affinity groups and the power of meditation as a tool to claim agency in any moment.

Yes, it’s messy at best and racial suffering will not be resolved overnight, but we can certainly agree that the status quo leaves a bit to be desired. And that desire is to elevate the consciousness collectively.

This powerful lady has something important to teach us, are you ready to join in?

May we heal the heart of humanity.

~ Kristen

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Return to Issue 21: Ruth King | Transforming Racism from the Inside Out.