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What is offered here?
One-on-one sessions of
meditation, journaling, and
body-focused experiences.
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The Main Offering:
15 weekly sessions +
• daily meditations
• journal prompts
• weekly reparative actions
• community
Also available:
Short Courses
on specific topics.
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For corporate DEI, classes, workshops,
and other types of group work, please visit
Intro to Abolition in the Bones
Sample practice session
“Virginia is a deeply committed, thoughtful, and intelligent facilitator. She meets you where you are in the process of this work and collaborates with you to take the next steps. Fascinating and transformative.” —A.B., participant in the main offering
Inviting you on a meditative journey into perceiving and uprooting unconscious racism as it lives in our bodies, our sinews, tissues and bones; a journey into healing, and a pathway to action for the liberation of all beings. Working with our bodies in contemplative practice, we can learn to notice the ways unconscious racism shows up in us physically, and, we can begin to liberate ourselves from our conditioning. The more we free ourselves, the less we are (in Sonya Renee Taylor’s words) obstacles to others’ liberation.
What white people have to do is try to find out in their own hearts why it was necessary to have a n____ in the first place.
~ James Baldwin
main offering
The main offering is approximately 15 sessions in which we:
- Work to heal our relationships with the earth, with human beings, and with all that supports wisdom and connection.
- Based in the support of this wisdom and connection, allow ourselves to mourn white racial violence, past and present
- Then, recognize and mourn ways we personally have caused racial harm
- Practice and develop our ability to stop ourselves from causing future harm.
- Take action toward amends, reparations, and liberation for all.
short courses
These are three to four sessions on a specific question or topic. Perhaps one of the below, or bring your own! Learn more about short courses.
frequently asked questions
The sessions are designed for white people (people of European descent, especially those seen as “white” by others) because that is what I know most intimately. And, if I can be of help and support to anyone else, around dismantling white supremacy, anti-Blackness, and Indigenous erasure, I am happy for us to take that journey together.
Whiteness & white supremacy are not the same as European descent. Whiteness is not an ethnicity but an invented instrument of oppression that we have been socialized into. For more information please see this article by Monnica Williams.
What I want is for us to break our allegiance to whiteness and nurture instead communion with life and humanity and the earth and infinite richness of the universe. For us to dismantle whiteness and follow the lead of those imagining and creating liberation for all beings.
Prior experience tolerating discomfort (therapy, meditation) is helpful and not required. Prior understanding of white supremacy is helpful and not required; pre-work reading can be useful.
- Willingness to be with the discomfort of the work.
- Time for daily homework (15 minutes) that helps with a mindset shift over time.
- Acts of personal repair and advocacy for collective reparations.
- Commitment to long-term work toward liberation for all beings, including, probably, talking with your racist uncle.
It’s ok if you don’t yet know what some/any of that means and/or aren’t sure you can do it. We will work through what it means and develop skills and competencies for you to integrate it into your life.
It is definitely spiritual work to reconnect to our ancestors and to the land. I am an animist, meaning I believe there is life energy and a type of sentience in everything; I am not a theist.
But, we can still work together. Maybe you want to look at these teachings as metaphorical. Perhaps you invoke your ancestors’ wisdom instead of their presence. Perhaps you offer gratitude to nature without a sense of nature having sentience. Give it a try… I’ll work with you if you’ll work with me.
Maybe, maybe not. Please contact me so we can talk this through.
I believe it is wrong for white people to lead this work without guidance and oversight (please see the Accountability Circle) and/or to profit from this work (please see the financial integrity policy). If you disagree, please do feel free to let me know if there is a way I could do better.
No white person is an expert on anti-racism, but I have centered this work of unlearning and learning for over thirty years. I offer guidance and fellowship on the path.
This is why I work with an Accountability Circle, so that the work is guided by Black women’s wisdom.
You can read more about me on the About The Project page.
We can work together on hearing what they expressed to you and brainstorming whether/how you can make amends to that person and/or to a group they are part of, if amends are appropriate. The situation may not be resolvable, and we can work to hold that together.
Please hire a Black, Brown, or Indigenous person.
You can check out the “People to Learn From” page for names and recommendations.
In an event led by a Black, Brown, or Indigenous teacher (see the “People to Learn From” page), I would be happy to assist in any way the teacher feels it would be useful, such as holding space for breakout session of white people.
testimonials
“I am discovering the many levels at which I have incorporated white supremacist attitudes and postures. I have worked to confront these in my mind, but finding them in my body – so deep and unconscious – has been both enlightening and has prompted deep thought about how I can move forward as a human, activist, and educator.”
– C.H., participant in the main offering
“Abolition in the Bones was both supportive and encouraging in unpacking my internalized white supremacy. Our meditations and discussions helped clarify what I needed to be accountable for, make a plan towards making amends, and reducing harm in the process. I feel grateful to have been able to rely on their support and I believe many people can benefit from these methods as practical steps toward an abolitionist world.”
– J.B., participant in “When You’ve Caused Harm” short course
get in touch
send a message
Here’s the contact form for sending questions, comments, feedback, whatever!