• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to footer

angel Kyodo williams

"love and justice are not two. without inner change, there can be no outer change; without collective change, no change matters."

MENUMENU
  • about
  • books
    • BOOKS BY ANGEL KYODO WILLIAMS

      Radical Dharma – “the book for right now” is igniting conversations to radically transform how race is navigated in dharma, yoga, activist, faith communities and more

      Being Black – Reaching it’s 20th year anniversary for 2020, Rev. angel’s first critically-acclaimed book was called “a classic” by Buddhist pioneer Jack Kornfield and “an act of love” by iconic writer Alice Walker. 

  • events
    • Find the Right Event for You

      [Virtual] Public Talks & Speaking

      [Virtual] Dharma & Meditation Retreats

      [Virtual] Radical Dharma Circles, Conversations & Camp

      [Virtual] Podcast Releases

      INVITE Rev. angel

    • ALL EVENTS…

  • experience
    • Engage w/ Rev. ANGEL

      Are you a YES! for engaging Rev. Angel? Forget trolling the internet. Stream the things no one else can. Get hand-curated content from both in the behind the scenes. Support Rev. angel’s fierce work from the inside out.

      Give love and get love.

      Enter the Love stream Now >

    • DEEPER PRACTICE WITH REV. ANGEL

      27 Days of Change – The gateway program. With guidance, clear structure, and community, you can jumpstart the change you want to make happen in your life in just 27 days.

      Practicing Justice – You have to grow up to show up. Changemakers, activists, leaders & entrepreneurs. Get head, heart & embodied practice in alignment.

      be.ing transformation – The most powerful and leveraged week you’ll ever spend in your life is here for 2020. Level up because it matters and you don’t have time for mediocre.

      Gain more Experience with Rev. angel…

  • content
    • Visit the full Content Library

      Full Content Library

      Video

      Audio

      Podcasts

      Articles

      Interviews

      By Rev. angel
      Essays

    • Content by theme

      Featured

      New

      Wisdom

      Justice

      Eco/Planet

  • donate
  • Contact

Home footer bar content

“love and justice are not two. without inner change, there can be no outer change; without collective change, no change matters.”

MENUMENU
  • about
  • books
    • BOOKS BY ANGEL KYODO WILLIAMS

      Radical Dharma – “the book for right now” is igniting conversations to radically transform how race is navigated in dharma, yoga, activist, faith communities and more

      Being Black – Reaching it’s 20th year anniversary for 2020, Rev. angel’s first critically-acclaimed book was called “a classic” by Buddhist pioneer Jack Kornfield and “an act of love” by iconic writer Alice Walker. 

  • events
    • Find the Right Event for You

      [Virtual] Public Talks & Speaking

      [Virtual] Dharma & Meditation Retreats

      [Virtual] Radical Dharma Circles, Conversations & Camp

      [Virtual] Podcast Releases

      INVITE Rev. angel

    • ALL EVENTS…

  • experience
    • Engage w/ Rev. ANGEL

      Are you a YES! for engaging Rev. Angel? Forget trolling the internet. Stream the things no one else can. Get hand-curated content from both in the behind the scenes. Support Rev. angel’s fierce work from the inside out.

      Give love and get love.

      Enter the Love stream Now >

    • DEEPER PRACTICE WITH REV. ANGEL

      27 Days of Change – The gateway program. With guidance, clear structure, and community, you can jumpstart the change you want to make happen in your life in just 27 days.

      Practicing Justice – You have to grow up to show up. Changemakers, activists, leaders & entrepreneurs. Get head, heart & embodied practice in alignment.

      be.ing transformation – The most powerful and leveraged week you’ll ever spend in your life is here for 2020. Level up because it matters and you don’t have time for mediocre.

      Gain more Experience with Rev. angel…

  • content
    • Visit the full Content Library

      Full Content Library

      Video

      Audio

      Podcasts

      Articles

      Interviews

      By Rev. angel
      Essays

    • Content by theme

      Featured

      New

      Wisdom

      Justice

      Eco/Planet

  • donate
  • Contact
You are here: Home / dharma / Buddhist Statement on Racial Injustice

Buddhist Statement on Racial Injustice

28 May 2015 by angel Kyodo williams

Buddhist Statement on Racial Injustice

-delivered to the White House by Buddhist teachers May 14, 2015

“If you have come to help me you are wasting your time. But if you recognize that your liberation and mine are bound up together, we can walk together.” – Lila Watson

As Buddhist teachers and leaders we are distressed and deeply saddened by the killings of unarmed African-Americans by police–most recently brought to light with Michael Brown in Ferguson, MO, Eric Garner in Staten Island, NY, Walter Scott in North Charleston, SC, Freddie Gray of Baltimore MD and too many others–and the frequent failure of the courts to bring justice to these cases. Most grievous is that these tragic events are not isolated incidents. They are part of a systemic injustice in the United States that is rooted in centuries of slavery and segregation, and manifested in continued economic and social exclusion, inferior education, mass incarceration and ongoing violence against African-Americans.

The Buddhist teachings are grounded in a clear recognition of suffering, an ethical commitment to non-harming and an understanding of interdependence: We can’t separate our personal healing and transformation from that of our larger society. The historic and continued suffering of people of color in this country of African Americans, Native Americans, Latinos, Asian Americans and others is our collective suffering. The harm caused daily is our collective responsibility. Once we see this suffering, our freedom unfolds as we respond with a wise and compassionate heart.

Right now, we believe there is an immediacy and urgency in focusing our attentions and efforts on the pervasive and ongoing violence done to people of color in our country. We are inspired by the courage and leadership of the people of Ferguson and many other communities in recent months in drawing a line in the sand and saying, “Enough”, “Black Lives Matter”, and calling for deep-rooted changes in our economic and justice systems. As Buddhists we see the timeliness of adding our voices to theirs, knowing it will take a dedicated focus to recognize how the hidden biases and assumptions of our society deprive people of color of their basic rights to justice, opportunity and human dignity.

Our collective aspiration within the Buddhist traditions is to become truly inclusive and beloved communities. In this process we are committed to honestly and bravely uncovering the ways we create separation and unintentionally replicate patterns of inequity and harm. In the same spirit, we are committed to engaging with other faith and social justice groups in support of undoing racism throughout our society.

In the midst of tragedy, grief, and anger, we see the seeds of profound possibilities for healing the wounds of separation and building communities based on respect and love. Since their inception, Buddhist teachings and practices have been explicitly devoted to liberation. In his time the Buddha was a revolutionary voice against racism and the caste system: “Not by caste, race, or creed, or birth is one noble, but by heart alone is one a noble being.” The Buddhist trainings in mindfulness, wisdom and compassion, create the grounds for wise speech and wise action. These teachings and practices free our hearts from greed, prejudice and hate and serve an essential role in societal healing, and in the awakening of all.

With prayers for healing and peace,

Filed Under: dharma, essays

About angel Kyodo williams

angel Kyodo williams, the "change angel," is Founder of the national Transformative Change, for which she now serves as a Senior Fellow and Director of Vision, and Founder Emeritus of Berkeley-based Center for Transformative Change. Both bridge inner and outer change for social justice activists towards wholeness, wellbeing and effective action. A social visionary and leading voice for transformative social change, she is the author of the critically-acclaimed Being Black: Zen and the Art of Living With Fearlessness and Grace and co-author of the latest Radical Dharma: Talking Race, Love & Liberation.
 
Facebook: Like angel on Facebook
Twitter: Follow angel for tweets on change
Web: Find angel on the Web
Change: practice change angel
Train: Train Your Mind with angel - coming soon!

Footer

 

    stay connected

  • Contact
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
  • LinkedIn

    the angel group

  • About
  • Login
  • FAQs
  • Terms
  • Privacy
  • Help

    resources

  • Main Site
  • Powerful Content
  • Transformative Events
  • Awesome Experiences
  • Radical Dharma
  • Radical Swag

Join Us for a Liberated Life

  • main
  • teacher
  • justice
  • planet

© mm-mmxix the angel group | angel Kyodo williams · all rights reserved. · design by @zenchangeangel · Log out

Open Panel