“
The problem is that white people see racism as conscious hate, when racism is bigger than that. Racism is a complex system of social and political levers and pulleys set up generations ago to continue working on the behalf of whites at other people’s expense, whether whites know/like it or not. Racism is an insidious cultural disease. It is so insidious that it doesn’t care if you are a white person who likes black people; it’s still going to find a way to infect how you deal with people who don’t look like you. Yes, racism looks like hate, but hate is just one manifestation. Privilege is another. Access is another. Ignorance is another. Apathy is another. And so on. So while I agree with people who say no one is born racist, it remains a powerful system that we’re immediately born into. It’s like being born into air: you take it in as soon as you breathe. It’s not a cold that you can get over. There is no anti-racist certification class. It’s a set of socioeconomic traps and cultural values that are fired up every time we interact with the world. It is a thing you have to keep scooping out of the boat of your life to keep from drowning in it. I know it’s hard work, but it’s the price you pay for owning everything.
”
— scott woods
 
 

LWL : DIVERSITY STANCE

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At Lead with Love, our goal is to empower individuals and communities to choose love despite their personal fears and their reactions to systemic fear. We believe that observing fear is an essential part of this process. As an organization, we acknowledge discrepancies in the race experience and have implemented efforts to reduce this margin using the talents of our members and the services we offer. We continue to commit to fearlessly assessing our privilege so that we can appropriately use our platform to demonstrate an ACTIVE alliance with our BIPOC brothers and sisters.

We have reviewed our 5 pillars: Heart-Centered Leadership, Optimal Wellbeing, Service, Connection, and Joy and included a diversity statement for each one. By acknowledging diversity in each of these pillars, we have the opportunity to do a better job at working toward our mission to shift culture from fear to love. The only way to do this is to be an active, not passive, anti-racist organization.

Heart-Centered Leadership

We believe leading from the heart is a choice. Choose love.

We believe heart-centered leaders play a vital role in guiding communities with unique perspectives and talents. We commit to including more BIPOC presenters at our events and using our marketing platforms to promote BIPOC leaders. We will also increase outreach to BIPOC attendees to make sure our events demonstrate inclusivity and to provide space and services where future BIPOC leaders can flourish.

Optimal Wellbeing

The wellbeing of one is connected to the wellbeing of all.

Just as the wellbeing of one is connected to the wellbeing of all, we defend MLK’s position that “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” We live in an increasingly interconnected space where our own wellbeing is reinforced only when the individuals around us also have established their wellbeing. Our nation’s systems are doing a better job protecting and fulfilling white communities’ wellbeing than anyone else’s. While wellbeing and wellness practices are currently a privilege in our status quo, we are committed to working toward wellness as a right for all.
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Service

Be the change you wish to see by serving love instead of fear.

Lead with Love is dedicated to serving BIPOC communities using our scholarships and subsidized wellbeing programming to ensure these communities have access to our services. We will continue to perform humanitarian projects that provide benefit to our BIPOC family.
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Connection

We are wired to love, be loved and to belong.

We believe that vulnerability is essential for connection. We guarantee safe spaces and support for authentic communication about race and racial experiences. Whether this means providing a welcoming space and a sense of belonging to our BIPOC community or whether this means enabling open and vulnerable dialogue about whiteness and the perpetuation of systemic racism, we will work to ensure that our experiences create a space that makes you feel seen and where your voices are heard. We will always aim to be welcoming, inviting and willing to adapt.
We understand that LWL is based in a predominantly white and privileged area. So we must reach further and with more creativity to connect personally with BIPOC communities. We know this is possible and in the best interest of all people enjoying our offerings.
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Joy

Your joy is your genius. Let love lead + use joy as your compass.

Our joyful and centering spiritual practices are meant to create profound internal shifts that make it so we are no longer able to tolerate the pain and injustice we see in the world today. Our practices are aimed to develop a sense of abundance, acceptance and gratitude for the gifts we’ve received and the wholeness we can tap into from within. These experiences will enable our generosity without a sense of deprivation. From joy we will be curious, continue to do the work, and embrace criticism and vulnerability. We will train ourselves to live a deliberate lifestyle in which our choices defend our values.
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LEAD WITH LOVE : ACTION LIST

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We stand with protestors and Black Lives Matter Movement. The history of our country is baked with systemic racism and injustice for BIPOC communities. This watershed moment gives us the opportunity to acknowledge the disenfranchisement and violence that is being perpetuated by the status quo. As we use our platforms and clear voice to take this stand of solidarity, we realize this is not enough. We must act.

 

We ask ourselves, we ask our community:

  • What can I do to support BIPOC in the wellness community?

  • Do brands I buy gear from or participate in services from (classes, workshops) hire and fairly pay BIPOC? Do they showcase their content in social media/marketing? Do they sponsor BIPOC efforts?

  •  Does our social media convey inclusivity?

  • What are our local politicians' policies on ending police brutality and systemic oppression?

  • How can we start revolutionary conversations about race and underrepresentation in the wellness community? Is wellness a privilege?

  • How can we help quietly, without recognition?

Lead with Love outlines the following initiatives to be taken with the purpose of contributing to systemic change in our industry:

CURRENT AND NEAR TERM ACTIONS (2021)

  • Programming/Events

    • Launch of Love in Action, an online social action gathering in which we learn about today’s most pressing causes and work together to take action to participate in forming a safer, healthier more just future.

    • Direct outreach to people of color for event attendance.

    • Direct outreach to people of color for event attendance.

    • Outreach to people of color to lead events or present at existing events.

    • Offer yoga teacher training scholarships for BIPOC at partner institutions.

  • Education and Representation

    • Representation of diversity in brand materials. Everyone should see themselves in our mission and programming.

    • Social Channels

      • Amplify Black voices via reposts or suggested follows.

      • Promotion of BIPOC wellness leaders through priority in posts and features.

      • Promotion of BIPOC yoga classes and instructors (especially online).

    • Evolving anti-racism resource list*

  • Financial Contributions

    • Committed.

    • Encourage community to make donations to specific orgs.

    • Use LWL programming to fundraise for causes.

  • Legislative Action/ Advocacy

    • Promotion of voting

      • Importance.

      • How to.

      • Down Ballot and initiatives.

      • Create comprehensive information packets that help voters understand the platforms of their candidates so that they may make the decision to support candidates they find are most aligned with heart-centered leadership and equal rights.

      • Calls to Representatives/ Organize phone banks.

    • Promotion of Petitions

  • HR

    • Diversity trainings for new staff or annual diversity trainings for all staff.

      • Sponsor guest organizations to attend LWL diversity trainings

    • Mentorship/Internship programs focusing on people of color.

  • Participate in Development of Wellness Center for At-Risk Youth


OPEN TIMELINE GOALS

  • Programming/Events

    • Offer yoga teacher training scholarships for BIPOC at partner institutions. Create cycle of LWL practitioners who then wellbeing conduct programming for LWL.

    • Approach APD and offer wellbeing trainings that encourage clear minded reactions and improved sense of connection to all.

    • Determine a % of potential wellbeing programs to focus on BIPOC workplaces, community centers, organizations.

    • Daycare to be offered at LWL events serving underprivileged communities.

    • Anti-racism workshops for children.

    • Wellbeing tools (virtual offerings, handouts, low-impact on schedule services) that can be distributed to BIPOC communities who may not have the time or ability to prioritize scheduled/live wellbeing trainings.

  • Education and Representation

    • Encouraging our brand partners to assess their in house racial diversity and commitment to anti-racism

      • Providing tools to help them do so.

    • Instruction Guides.

    • Public Virtual Book Clubs Centered around Race Issues and BIPOC authors.

    • Annual Team Reading List focused on Race and Anti-Racism.

 

RESOURCE LIST

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ANTI-RACISM, CIVIL RIGHTS ORGANIZATIONS, NETWORKS AND FOUNDATIONS

BIPOC & ANTI-RACISM ACTIVISTS, WRITERS & COMMUNITY LEADERS

Adult BOOKS TO READ


ARTICLES TO READ

  • 75 Things White People Can Do for Racial Justice

  • “Five Ways to Make the Outdoors More Inclusive” The Atlantic

  • “Why Black People Should Take Up More Space in the Outdoors” Joshua Walker- Melanin Base Camp

  • “Backpacking in America as a POC: Hikers Share Experience” Clay Bonnyman Evans – The Trek

 

Tween & Children Books to read

FILMS AND TV SERIES TO WATCH:

  • 5 Tips for Being an Ally

  • 13th (Ava DuVernay) — Netflix

  • 16 Shots (Rick Rowley) — Showtime

  • American Promise

  • American Son (Kenny Leon) — Netflix

  • Black Power Mixtape: 1967-1975 — Available to rent

  • Blindspotting (Carlos López Estrada) — Hulu with Cinemax or available to rent

  • "Bloomberg and The Legacy of Stop-and-Frisk" (The Daily Show) 

  • Clemency (Chinonye Chukwu) — Available to rent

  • Copwatch (Camilla Hall) — Amazon Prime

  • Crime + Punishment (Stephen Maing, 2018) — Hulu

  • Dear White People (Justin Simien) — Netflix

  • The Death and Life of Marsha P. Johnson (David France) — Netflix

  • Do The Right Thing — Available to rent

  • Explained Racial Wealth Gap — Netflix/Youtube

  • The Force (Peter Nicks, 2017) — Netflix

  • Fruitvale Station (Ryan Coogler) — Available to rent

  • How We Can Win (David Jones)

  • I Am Not Your Negro (James Baldwin doc) — Prime Video

  • If Beale Street Could Talk (Barry Jenkins) — Hulu

  • Just Mercy (Destin Daniel Cretton) — Available to rent for free in June in the U.S.

  • King In The Wilderness  — HBO

  • Let it Burn (Jason Osder) — Kanopy

  • Let It Fall: Los Angeles 1982–1992 (2017) / LA 92 (2017) (John Ridley) — Netflix

  • Moonlight — Netflix

  • Mudbound — Netflix

  • Reclaiming Our Time: Black Faces, White Spaces & the Possibility of Us — Netflix

  • Reconstruction — PBS

  • See You Yesterday (Stefon Bristol) — Netflix

  • Selma (Ava DuVernay) — Available to rent

  • The Blackalachian — Youtube

  • The Black Panthers: Vanguard of the Revolution — Available to rent

  • The Hate U Give (George Tillman Jr.) — Hulu with Cinemax

  • When They See Us (Ava DuVernay) — Netflix

  • "White Awake" by Daniel Hill (FSP Chicago)

  • Whose Streets? (Sabaah Folayan and Damon Davis) — Hulu

  • "Why Are White People So Bad at Talking About Race?" 

PODCASTS:

BLACK WOMEN IN SUSTAINABILITY & ENVIRONMENTALISM

  • Leah Thomas : @greengirlleah

  • Breathe in “Let” : @poppyokotcha

  • Indy : @indyofficinalis

  • Dominique Drakeford : @dominiquedrakeford

  • Maya Penn :  @mayasideas

  • Whitney R. McGuire : @whitneyrmcguire

  • Jazmine Rogers : @thatcurlytop

  • Buy from BIPOC : @buyfrombipoc

BLACK owned sex toy companies

  • Ardently : @shopardently

  • b Condoms : @bcondoms

  • Feelmore : @feelmoreadult

  • Seduction By Lace : @seductionbylace

  • Bedroom Kandi : @bedroomkandi

  • Something Classier : @somethingclassier

  • Indulgence Boutique :  @indulgencebtq69

  • Soft Spot : @mysoftspots

  • Organic Loven : @organicloven

  • Hart’s Desires : @hartsdesires

  • iCandi : @icandi

  • Kinky Choices : @kinkychoices

  • LyLyth Erotica & Lingerie : @lylyth_official

  • Naughty Sinsation : @naughty.sinsation

  • Sex on the Table : @_sexonthetable

Black-Owned Marijuana & CBD Brands

  • Undefined Beauty : @undefinedbeauty_co

  • Jane Parade : @thejaneparade

  • Nuleaf One : @nuleaf.1

  • Kush Groove : @thekushgrooveshop

  • Satan’s Breath : @satans_breath_cbd

  • Blissful Stoner Body Essentials : @blissfulstonerbodyessentials

  • Kush & Cute : @kushandcute

  • Apothecarry Brands, Inc : @theapothecarry

 

BIPOC OUTDOORS LEADERS

  • Akuna Hikes : @akunahikes

  • Black Folks Camp Too : @blackfolkscamptoo

  • Black Girls Trekkin’ : @blackgirlstrekkin

  • Brittany Leavitt : @bleavitt8

  • Brown Girls Climb : @browngirlsclimb

  • Indigenous Women Hike : @indigenouswomenhike

  • Melanin Base Camp : @melaninbasecamp

  • Outdoor Afro : @outdoorafro

  • The Outdoor Journal Tour : @outdoorjournaltour

  • Pattie Gonia : @pattiegonia

  • Rue Mapp : @ruemapp

  • Ayesha Rosena : @ayesuppose

  • She Colors Nature : @she_colorsnature

  • Soul Trak Outdoors : @soultrakoutdoors

  • Unlikely Hikers : @unlikelyhikers

  • Wild Gina : @wildginaa

BIPOC WELLNESS LEADERS + Fitness Brands

BLACK ASTROLOGERS

 
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