Mindfulness reminds us look after ourselves, but how can it help us to support our communities? Hakeem S. Allen, Founder of the Anti Racist Social Club explains why we need to keep the anti-racism movement alive.
by Hakeem S. Allen
Part 1: A Race Unfinished
It’s ten minutes past ten, the sun leaves a faint warmth on my skin. My skin of beautiful richness, dripping in melanin and honey. I am Black, without apology. I had just begun my twenty-sixth lap around the sun and was enjoying a celebratory road trip with my best friend to visit our neighbors to the north. You can’t hear the accent, but yes I am from the land of Twinkies, mass shootings, and a never-ending obsession with patriotism (which some would call fascist...some being me).
It’s the eighteenth year of the current century, location Pennsylvania. Known as a commonwealth state, Pennsylvania played a large role in the foundation of America. It’s where we declared “All men are created equal” and objected to British colonialism, and it’s where we signed the Constitution that still dictates our way of life centuries later. I nap in the passenger seat, which is on the right side of the car because that’s how it should be. My senses still alert, but calm, we pull off the road as the reflection of red and blue lights flicker in the side mirror. Purple usually lulls me to sleep, bringing calm to my already anxious disposition. Hints of lavender fill my septum. This mix of red and blue, however, brings the opposite. My heart begins to race, except there’s no gold medal awaiting me at the finish line. As I gain consciousness, my awareness reveals we are in a traffic stop. My friend, White, was speeding. My friend, White, remained calm. I, was not. I panicked. Would his be the last face I saw, would the smell of farmland and Hershey’s chocolate be the last to grace my nose. Is this how it ends for me? My friend, White, is issued a ticket. We continue the drive home, this time at a safe speed. Yet the race my heart began that Wednesday morning never finished; my heart still beats in a state of panic.
Police brutality in the US and across the globe has come to a critical point - leaving the BIPOC community feeling unsafe in their own community. This needs to change.
“The world had stopped, which meant the world needed something to do. This was it.”
Fast-forward to June 2020. A global pandemic has turned the world upside down (yes, that is the second reference to Hamilton so far...did you catch the first?) Yet, a pandemic that has plagued the world for over four centuries still lingers in the background. The original sin resurfaces, racism rears its ugly head. Eight minutes, forty-six seconds. George Floyd is slain in broad daylight, daylight no different than that which graced my melanated skin all those years ago at that traffic stop in Pennsylvania. Chaos ensues. The world had stopped, which meant the world needed something to do. This was it.
Black squares, protests, and many suggested books later, racism finally had an enemy that wasn’t just Black. White people began to acknowledge their privilege and role in fighting racial inequality. But figuring out what to do or where to start proved a barrier too high to overcome. Momentum slowed and soon those eight minutes and forty-six seconds that took the breath of life away from George Floyd became the length in attention span of the privileged. And therein lay an opportunity. They say necessity is the mother of invention. Well that mother bore a way out. A way for me to find catharsis and make an impact. A way out that won’t be realised by anyone in this generation, but a way out for some little Black kid in decades to come.
The Black Lives Matter protests peaked in 2020 on June 6, when half a million people turned out in nearly 550 places across the United States. That was a single day in more than a month of protests that still continue to today.
When that chaos ensued, there was a clear directive – check on your Black friends as they are not okay. The absence of a simple “How are you?” led to low mood and early signs of what I couldn’t clinically call depression or PTSD but on some level I’d call depression or PTSD on a deep, subconscious level. See race isn’t just skin deep, it impacts every aspect of one’s being. And that’s why The Anti-Racist Social Club initially started. What is now an anti-racism education and activism collective, with a website of over 500 resources for anti-racism learning, started off as a way to reclaim my mental health. Everyone was asking if I was okay and I wasn’t, but I didn’t know what to do with all of that negative energy. So I channeled it into creating an organisation designed to help educate White people and non-Black people of colour about what it means to be an anti-racist ally.
“Mindfulness describes the state of being conscious or aware of the present moment. And in this moment, it’s clear what we need to be aware of.”
Anti-racism is the policy or practice of opposing racism and promoting racial tolerance. It means you constantly challenge racism, not allowing yourself to be a bystander. It means listening, learning, and doing the work. And that last part is key. We often talk about mindfulness and self-help in the context of meditation, yoga, breathwork. And those are all wonderful ways to find inner peace and promote positivity. But anti-racism is no different. Challenging racism is inextricably tied to mindfulness. After all, how can we be at peace knowing there are those around us struggling to exist in the same circumstances to no fault of their own? Mindfulness describes the state of being conscious or aware of the present moment. And in this moment, it’s clear what we need to be aware of. We exist in spaces at differing levels of opportunity, access, and equity, and we lose nothing by promoting equality for all, not least for Black lives. But anti-racism is intersectional as well, as we are not just one thing. We are not written for one instrument alone; I am not, neither are you. (If you can guess this quote from my favourite book, you’re a legend). Although we are present of this moment, this cannot be just that. It must be the start of a movement.
When I was thinking about what to write, it was hard to focus on just one thing. After all, racism has shaped the world for over four centuries. How could I possibly write something meaningful that addresses such a consuming topic? And that’s when I realised I didn’t have to.
So welcome to a four-part series on anti-racism as it relates to mindfulness. This is part one: Awareness. For now, we acknowledge a problem exists and that it’s personal for everyone, regardless of your race, ethnicity, political affiliation, gender, sexuality... regardless of anything.
Join The Anti Racist Social Club
You’ve just read one experience of a Black person, but there’s more to hear, read, watch, and amplify. And that’s where The Anti-Racist Social Club can help! On our website you’ll find over 500 resources for anti-racist learning, with the ability to filter by age, genre, topic, and more. There’s also original video content and tangible ways to get in the fight, like signing petitions or participating in a workshop or supporting Black-owned businesses. We also share digestible content on our social feeds, so give us a follow there too. Becoming anti-racist is a journey – I hope to be a helpful resource on it with you. Let’s get going...
The Anti-Racist Social Club is an anti-racism education and activism collective that works to create spaces and resources for education and open dialogue with White people and non-Black people of colour. It also hosts corporate workshops for building anti-racist organisations, equipping senior leadership with diversity and inclusion best practices, improving recruitment and retention, and reshaping corporate culture to be more inclusive of marginalised groups. The website and social media offer a catalogue of over 500 anti-racist resources including books, podcasts, movies, news articles, and support for parents.
Hakeem s.allen
Hakeem is the founder of The Anti-Racist Social Club, an anti-racism education and activism collective that provides resources for learning and corporate workshops. In addition to his role as an educator, Hakeem is a strategist and business designer in the innovation space. When he’s not fighting for racial equality, you can find him playing tennis, writing scripts, performing stand-up comedy, or dancing in the grocery store while shopping. He is also passionate about improving how men access and engage with mental health resources.
Would you like to write for us?
We are looking for people to share their stories, practices and passions at justbreatheproject.com. Do you have something to share? It could be a cause you think we should know about, a new way of thinking, a book that helped you through a tough time or perhaps, you have a talent you'd like to share? If you are interested please send a headline and a short intro to submission@justbreatheproject.com
Want more?
Standing on a traffic light, talking to thousands of people just through a small speakerphone who he had led from Hyde Park to Brixton, Noel Williams has established himself as one of the most inspirational people in London.