Week Two: The Human Experience

The experience of being Black in America is a deeply human one. The goal for Week Two is to provide an intimate look at the human experience Black Americans face and create the space for a deeper level of understanding. (Note: that's Ta-Nehisi Coates in the red shirt as a child along with his five siblings.)

Week Two: Day 1

READ I Fit the Description to learn what it's like to walk an ordinary day in this man's shoes.

Click HERE to read Steve Locke's story.

REFLECT: Does Steve Locke’s experience mirror your own in any way? Why or why not? How do you think you would have reacted if you were in that situation?

WANT TO GO DEEPER? Watch the TEDx talk "No You Cannot Touch My Hair" with Mena Fombo HERE.

Week Two: Day 2

READ Who Gets to be Afraid in America? In this Atlantic article, Ibram X. Kendi shares a powerfully personal perspective on recent race violence in the US.

Click HERE to read the article.

REFLECT: Kendi believes we can defy the odds and create an anti-racist society--do you? Why is hope so central to the anti-racist movement? He also makes the case that to be anti-racist, one must stand against all forms of bigotry. Why is standing against all forms of bigotries so essential?

WANT TO GO DEEPER? Read the Runner's World article "Twelve Minutes and a Life" HERE.

Week Two: Day 3

WATCH Ta-Nehisi Coates' Congressional Testimony regarding slavery reparations.

REFLECT: Before watching this video, had you ever thought about the idea of reparations? Did Coates’ argument change your opinion at all? To what extent do you think we are responsible to account for acts which, though we did not ourselves commit them, nevertheless benefit our daily lives? Can something not be your fault, yet be your responsibility?

WANT TO GO DEEPER? Read Coates’ original article “The Case for Reparations” in The Atlantic HERE.

Week Two: Day 4

READ I’m Finally an Angry Black Man, a New York Times opinion piece by Isaac Bailey, who had long considered himself one of the "good Blacks". (You may need to enter an email address to access the article for free on the New York Times website.)

Click HERE to read the article.

REFLECT: What do you think about the notion of "good Blacks"? Do you draw that distinction, either consciously or unconsciously? Do you think there exists the idea of "good whites"? Why or why not?

WANT TO GO DEEPER? Read or Listen to the NPR piece ‘When Civility is Used as a Cudgel Against People of Color’ HERE.

Week Two: Day 5

WATCH James Baldwin on the Dick Cavett Show in 1969: Author and activist James Baldwin discusses the Black experience in America in 1969.

REFLECT: What do you think of Baldwin's assertion that when "white people" (e.g. Irish, Jewish, Polish throughout history) rise up and say Give me liberty or give me death the "entire white world applauds", but when a Black man says the exact same thing, he is judged a criminal. Do you think this was or still is true?

WANT TO GO DEEPER? Watch James Baldwin debate the topic of discrimination on The Dick Cavett Show HERE.

You've come to the end of Week Two: The Human Experience.

Please join us for a Week Two Discussion Group on Wednesday, February 24th at 1pm. We also invite you to share your anonymous feedback on this section. The feedback is intentionally anonymous to create a safe space for everyone's opinions, feedback and questions. The goal is for this is to be an open and productive dialogue, not a one-way flow of information. You can share your anonymous feedback HERE.

If you're looking to dive deeper, here are some suggested resources from fellow Buddhans:

Check out the blog entry "That Ain't Gonna Happen!" HERE

Watch the short video "How Can We Win?" HERE

Read the blog entry "What's in a Name?" HERE

Buy and read James Baldwin's book "The Fire Next Time" HERE

Buy and read Ibram X. Kendi's book "Stamped From the Beginning" HERE