Within this fathom-long body and mind is found all of the teachings.—The Buddha

But all our phrasing—race relations, racial chasm, racial justice, racial pro-filing, white privilege, even white supremacy—serves to obscure that racism is a visceral experience, that it dislodges brains, blocks airways, rips muscle, extracts organs, cracks bones, breaks teeth. You must never look away from this. You must always remember that the sociology, the history, the eco-nomics, the graphs, the charts, the regressions all land, with great violence, upon the body. —Ta-Nehisi Coates

YOU’VE BEEN INVITED to be part of a think tank to discuss how an organization that’s important to you can adjust its infra-structure, culture, and practices to be more equitable and racially inclusive. You arrive eager to begin the work of dismantling the structural racism that’s thwarting the organization’s potential for positive impact. At the first meeting, a woman of color you have not seen before steps up to lead the conversation. Notebooks are out and pens are in hand. You can almost hear the hum of action items to come, and you and your mostly white colleagues are ready. The stakes are high. If this team can’t get this right, it means losing more people. It means resources and a message you believe in won’t reach marginalized populations. It means your organization won’t be enriched by the voices of the diverse many. This must end. You can tackle this thing!

“You can put away your pens and notebooks,” the woman says. “We’ll begin this dialogue by being in our bodies.” You look around at your colleagues. Some eagerly put their things away while others look to each other with a quizzical glance. What thoughts run through your mind? Excitement? Fear? Incredulousness? Something in-between? What do you imagine happens next in the room? I’ve been this woman of color in front of a mostly white audience encouraging us to come into our bodies around racial justice work, and here’s what I’ve experienced.

This is an article originally published on Arrow-journal.org. Click below to read more.