These sessions will present anti-racism as a spiritual practice by weaving together personal storytelling, historical study, and wisdom teachings. We will bring in diverse guests to learn from their experiences and expertise. The first portion will be devoted to listening, the second portion will be devoted to internalizing. As Ibram Kendi says in Becoming an Anti-Racist, these two ways of engaging are central to anti-racist practice.
Sikh Religious Life Adviser, Simran Jeet Singh, will open by facilitating an intimate conversation with a leader in the space on their own experiences with becoming conscious of race (personal), particular aspectz of how racism manifests itself in our world (knowledge), and what we all can do about it (practical). We will then move into interactive Q&A.
At the close of the hour, we will engage with the material to personalize it in various, interactive ways: reflection exercises, pairing and sharing, small group discussions, close readings. We will mold our exercises each week to fit the subject matter for each session.
On November 19th, Omid Safi will join us in conversation. Omid is a teacher in the Sufi tradition of Radical Love and the Founder of Illuminates Courses. Omid’s passion for teaching has been recognized through the ten times that he has been nominated for professor of the year awards. He is a professor at Duke University specializing in Islamic spirituality and contemporary thought. A leading Muslim public intellectual, Omid is committed to the intersection of spirituality and social justice.
Omid has published extensively on the foundational sources of Islam and Sufism. His Memories of Muhammad is a biography of the Prophet Muhammad. His most recent book is Radical Love: Teachings from the Islamic Mystical Tradition (published by Yale).
Omid is also deeply committed to liberationist prophetic traditions in the legacy of Martin Luther King, Rabbi Heschel, and Malcolm X. He has been invited by the family of Dr. King to speak at Ebenezer Church on the relevance of Dr. King for today’s America, and has delivered the Martin Luther King keynote in the annual national MLK service.
RSVP Here: https://columbiauniversity.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJEqdu-qpj0iEtPx7_DmvOh2eBWdo1CS11oL
Learn more and get the zoom details here: https://religiouslife.columbia.edu/content/anti-racism-spiritual-practice