support

Dear Beloved Mixed Race Sangha,

The Mixed Race Meditation Group was started over two years ago as a container for multiracial-identified folx to process the murder of George Floyd and the international reckoning with global legacies of white supremacy and anti-blackness. Since then, we have met and deepened our meditative and contemplative practices as mixed race people. We have hosted:

• 26 monthly gatherings

• 45+ weekly silent meditations

• 2 day-long meditation retreats and 1 half-day practice intensive

• 6 book clubs

• Posted 7 blog articles and 3 guided meditation recordings

• Built an online Slack community of 70+ multiracial individuals

These offerings were made possible by the donation of time and energy of volunteer facilitators. Beginning in early 2021, 80% of the monetary gifts that many of you have offered has gone to our facilitators as an expression of our gratitude for their work. The remaining 20% has gone to covering our overhead costs, which consists of our Squarespace website, Zoom Pro account, and online event registration platform.

As we look ahead, we ask for your support as we set the goal to fundraise $5,000 USD by Tuesday, January 31st. These gifts will go first and foremost to covering our overhead costs and funding a part-time community engagement coordinator who will be responsible for overseeing critical administrative tasks along with refining our community offerings. This year, we also hope to offer set honoraria to our facilitators that are reflective of the value of their time and work.

*We ask for your support within the framework of a Gift Economy, a form of economic exchange which allows us to feel our own sense of value, to appreciate the experience of giving and receiving, and to humanize money-matters, placing them in the context of community strength and care. It works like this:

Within the Gift Economy model, we are both participating in an ongoing cycle of gift-giving. As facilitators, we give the gift of providing space, structure, and facilitation. We give this gift joyfully, from our heart, and enjoy giving it. As recipients of these gifts, you are fed and nourished (hopefully!). You are naturally inspired to give a gift in return, in the spirit of reciprocity, balance, and mutual support. Everyone is empowered to enjoy the process of giving a gift from the heart, supporting and strengthening the community. 

Gift Economy is also an effort to deconstruct and counteract the dominant capitalist structures, which try to assign value to things for us, and demand that we play along in order to keep afloat. Giving a gift is a choice which allows you to decide for yourself what "value" is.

Today, we are asking for monetary gifts. The amount is up to you: some might prefer to give large sums upfront while others might want to give smaller amounts on a regular basis. Your generosity will help our sangha establish critical support to ensure its longevity and flourishing. 

If you feel moved to make a gift, you can do so here. Thank you so much.

With love and gratitude,
Kristina Garrity and Adriana DiFazio
Co-Founders of the Mixed Race Meditation Group

*The language to explain the Gift Economy model was written by Anna Swisher, a facilitator of the Work That Reconnects.