Dr. Angela Rose Black on Culturally-Responsive Mindfulness

The Journey to Culturally-Responsive Mindfulness Practices

Dr. Angela Rose Black is a leading voice in culturally-responsive mindfulness, addressing Racial Battle Fatigue in People of Color and White Fragility in White individuals. As Founder/CEO of Mindfulness for the People LLC, she creates trauma-informed mindfulness solutions for racialized stress.

Q: What inspired your mindfulness work?

Dr. Black: As a health disparities researcher studying Black women's stress, I realized:
- I was teaching about stress while experiencing severe burnout
- Traditional mindfulness spaces replicated racial microaggressions
- Curricula rarely addressed racial trauma or cultural context

"I arrived as a woman of color already fatigued by racial aggression, yet expecting healing practices. Instead, I faced hypervisibility and isolation."

The Problem with Whiteness in Mindfulness

Q: How is mainstream mindfulness "grounded in Whiteness"?

Key issues include:

1. Universal assumptions - Practices presented as benefiting "EVERYbody" equally
2. Research gaps - Studies predominantly normed on White experiences
3. Capitalist drivers - Funding flows to White-centered approaches
4. Cultural erasure - Absence of POC perspectives in curriculum design

Building Mindfulness for the People

Q: Why create this organization?

Mindfulness for the People addresses:
- The lack of POC representation in mindfulness leadership
- Need for oppression-sensitive mindfulness techniques
- White practitioners' hunger for diverse perspectives

Transformative outcomes occur when:
- POC see themselves reflected in mindfulness practices
- White participants recognize their limited exposure to POC teachers
- Curricula acknowledge racialized experiences of stress

Why This Work Matters Now

Q: Why is reimagining mindfulness radical?

Dr. Black explains:
- Racialized stress requires racialized solutions
- False universality prevents authentic healing
- The movement must evolve to match our racial realities

"If we cannot live unracialized lives in a racialized world, when will mindfulness respond in kind?"

Key Takeaways:
- Traditional mindfulness often excludes POC experiences
- Culturally-responsive practices benefit all racial groups
- Dismantling Whiteness in mindfulness creates more effective healing

Further Reading:
- Healing Racial Fault Lines
- Fear Less, Love More