Mentor: Mari-Carmen Farmer

As American society increasingly works to confront and reckon with the deep wounds left behind by the centuries of colonization, slaughter, and enslavement of Black and Indigenous people, individuals and institutions have come to recognize that moving towards antiracism is imperative for the dismantling of oppressive systems. There is an increasing awareness that racism and white supremacy are foundational values that have shaped our collective identity, that they show up in our interactions with each other and in our communities, and that they exist within us as a set of beliefs, biases, and perspectives.

The purpose of this workshop is to offer an alternative approach to the work of antiracism, one that views the principles of mindfulness as a path towards collective liberation. As the American jazz poet and musician, Gil Scott Heron, said, “The first revolution is when you change your mind about how you look at things, and see that there might be another way to look at it.” Woven throughout the literature that explores what is effective in becoming aware of unconscious bias, in unraveling thought systems that weaponize race and oppress marginalized people, and in adopting values that connect the liberation of the self to the liberation of all are tenets that are fundamental to mindfulness. The facilitator will focus on discussing these tenets and how they can be practically applied to advance the work of antiracism in the personal and professional lives of midwives.

Attendees will have the opportunity to learn how mindfulness can offer a way of exploring conscious values, as well as becoming aware of and interrupting unconscious conditioning. Participants will be offered tools that will help them disrupt harmful patterning and consider what patterns might more accurately reflect their goal of deepening their antiracist practice. As a practitioner of narrative medicine, the facilitator will demonstrate how components of this intentional practice, such as reflection, close listening and narrative humility, support building the habits of mindfulness. Knowing that discomfort is a core competency for grappling with matters of race, equipping midwives with these strategies for sitting in discomfort, for working on clearly identifying their racial distress, and for moving from the inside out in their antiracism practice is essential. Additionally, cultivating habits of mindfulness can help address trauma for those directly impacted by racism or for those bearing witness and taking action.

It is important to point out that there is an ethical component to mindfulness, not only as a practice of self-care for healers, who themselves must be diligent in supporting their personal wellness in order to effectively care for others, but also as a means of moving towards a more just society. The underpinnings of mindfulness point those who practice towards generating healing qualities to share with others, with the goal of creating a more peaceful and equitable society. This philosophical foundation perfectly complements the values sustaining the practice of midwifery, a profession that has a long history of understanding and acting upon the relationship between social justice and healing.