(white) Awareness is Revolutionary
220 West 148th Street
New York, NY 10039
Website: awarenessisrevolutionary.com
Description of Organization:
Over the last two years, the (white) Awareness is Revolutionary Collective, a project supported by the Triratna Buddhist Community of New York, has been piloting Dharma-based undoing racism learning journeys for white Buddhists, as well as running joint educational and community building programming with BIPOC Sangha leaders. The broader Triratna Buddhist Community is an international Buddhist movement with centers in over forty countries.
Grant(s) Awarded
In 2022, a grant in the amount of $6,000 was awarded to support the (white) Awareness is Revolutionary Collective project. The Collective aims to impact the leadership formation of white Buddhists, resourcing them with skills, wisdom, networks of resilience, and the courage needed to engage deeply in the co-creation of Buddhist sanghas with a shared Beloved Community for the 21st century. The curriculum draws on pilot programs conducted in 2020 and 2021, composed of 12 modules which can each stand alone or be undertaken as a sequential modular series. Each module includes preliminarily materials for self-study and engagement, a video podcast episode, an outline and prompts, and a facilitator toolkit. Music, poetry and art also are featured in the curriculum, in addition to narrative and other didactic content. Objectives of the program are:
• To spark positive change in self- and collective understanding among white Buddhists, resulting in changed attitudes and behaviors in service of building more welcoming and inclusive sanghas.
• To inspire, resource and break the isolation of white Buddhists in positions of leadership as well as emerging white Buddhist leaders who are stepping into the often messy and long-haul work of undoing racism in their sanghas and in wider society.
• To create a culture of deeper collaboration, solidarity and accountability between BIPOC and white sangha members and leaders, including in parts of the country where the demographic of a sangha’s geographic location is overwhelmingly white.
• To contribute a distinctly Buddhist approach to racial justice education, grounded in Dharma practices and teachings, and particularly relevant to the struggles and capacity-building of white people in this work.