Mindful of Race - Book

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By: Madeline Klopp and Federico Sanchez 

In "Mindful of Race," Ruth King provides readers with a roadmap for exploring the complexities of race and racism through the lens of mindfulness. She talks about the importance of cultivating awareness and compassion in order to engage constructively with issues of race, both externally and internally. Drawing from personal experiences and mindfulness practices, this book offers guidance on how individuals can navigate their own racial conditioning, biases, and privileges while fostering a greater understanding and connection with others.


Today, students were given in-class time to read from several of the chapters of the book, including the introduction, Six Hindrances of Racial Harmony, Establishing Daily Meditation Practices, What White People Can Do, and What People of Color Must Do. Each student discussed their personal takeaways and thoughts from the book in a seminar-style discussion afterward. This was a unique experience for us because the conversation incorporated different parts of the text that were not limited and included several parts of the book.


Our takeaway from “Mindful of Race” following our discussion and reading included: 

  • The benefits of mindfulness in difficult topics. Conversations on racism are often difficult to navigate and can cause people to stress, whether it be from negative personal experiences someone has faced, or a feeling of defensiveness. We found that practicing mindfulness, through yoga or otherwise, allows someone to be more level-headed and allows for more productive conversations. 

  • Students learned about different perspectives often assumed by varying communities. For example, often white people assume individualistic standpoints and people of color assume group identities. 

  • One emphasis by King that stood out to students was the importance of understanding, her experience and the stories she tells in the book, along with all other anecdotes in the book, are not representative of a homogenous narrative. Reminding ourselves of our limits in experience, conscious and unconscious bias, and lack of knowledge are all necessary to have productive, effective, thoughtful, discussions on race and proactively dismantling systemic racism. 



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