Fierce Compassion

Are you ready to learn skills for brave and self-connected antiracist conversations, without collapse, burnout or self-contempt?

When you witness microaggressions, racist acts, or racist language do you feel helpless and uncertain about how to take fierce and compassionate action? Are you frozen and unable to voice your concerns even though your heart is yearning to intervene for yourself and others? Are you deeply committed to antiracism principles but find it perplexing and disconnecting when you hear others talk about it in ways that you don’t enjoy?

What Skills and Capacities Will You Learn and Practice?

• Conversations with self, including an understanding of trauma, time travel and unconscious contracts
• The inner work of self compassion and moving through unconscious contracts that block action
• The importance of commitment to beloved community as the foundation for antiracism activism.
• Conversations welcoming rage, shame, anger and other emotions that often shunned in the conflict-averse tenets of white supremacy culture
• Conversations with supporters, including working with powerlessness and privilege
• The four dialogues of the Authentic Dialogue framework and considerations in choosing and preparing for each dialogue.
• Learning and practicing Roxy’s Authentic Dialog framework, including dialogues to be heard/seen and to invite mutual understanding
• Conservations with resistors, and the importance of understanding the neurobiology of bias + disgust
• Conversations across power differences

Meetings Every Thursday for Six Weeks, August 10th – September 14th, 4:30-6:00 PM Pacific Time (convert your timezone here)

During this class series, participants will practice conversations with self, conversations welcoming rage, conversations with supporters, conservations with resistors, conversations across power differences and applied conversations. 

Where do we meet?

The course will meet via online video conference (zoom). Recordings provided.

How is the Course Structured?

The course will include lecture and demonstrations, and break-out rooms to practice and embody antiracist dialogue skills.

Breakout Group Options for Global Majority* Participants

• We acknowledge the unique challenges encountered by Global Majority people when engaging in this type of work in spaces that tend to be white dominant. These can include being asked to educate white participants about racism,discrimination, and social justice issues, being seen and treated as representatives of their entire race or ethnicity rather than being seen as individuals, and experiencing microaggressions such as having their opinions or experiences dismissed or minimized.
• Given that skills practice in breakout groups is a major component of this course, we want Global Majority participants to have choice about their group make-up when practicing this work.
• One strategy we will implement to support choice for Global Majority participants in this class is to offer the choice of opting into breakout groups that are for Global Majority people only.
• Global Majority-only groups will be supported by Global Majority assistants. 

Support from Our Assistant Team:

• We will have a team of assistants who are skilled in offering empathic and resonant support and who hold a commitment to work towards anti-racist action.
• Our hope is that you would receive gentle and caring support to help address the blocks you encounter as you engage with this important work.
• If emotions such as shame, pain, or helplessness arise during our sessions, you can request one on one support in the moment from someone on our assistant team.
• Note: This work is not therapy and is not a substitute for therapy. If you have a sense that you would be destabilized by yourself or others speaking about difficult events, then this course may not be for you.
• While we hope that the processes and information that we share can be of use in your journey, we do not have the resources to support extreme psychological difficulties.

Cost and How to Register

Sliding Scale Cost Options:

• $500 – Supporter Rate: If you have financial assets, or identify as middle or upper/owning class, then this is the rate for you. Paying at this rate supports the discount and scholarship fund, making this course accessible to more people including people of the global majority.
• $375 – True Cost Rate: This is the true cost of the course. If you are able to pay this amount and still meet your basic needs, then this is the price for you to choose.
• $275 – Discounted Rate: The Discounted option is reserved for those who sometimes struggle with limited financial resources and would benefit from supported access to this learning experience.
• $200 – Scholarship Rate: The Scholarship option is reserved for people experiencing financial hardship and for people of the global majority.

About the Hosts