Over the last two years, our world has changed. We are experiencing a global pandemic that lays open for all to see the ways in which our culture and systems have sustained inequities and oppression. The cry for us to speak out has intensified and many feel compelled to issue statements, commit to action, increase accountability, and to use our voices to interrupt, to name, and to show solidarity.
Equity statements are often seen as the first thing “to do.” And so individual professionals and organizations scramble to “get it right.”
The truth is that crafting an equity statement is actually part of a longer process.
In this three-part online workshop series, we’ll spend time in community learning fundamental terms and definitions, and exploring frameworks and practices that will support us each in this process—a process that is inherently personal, inherently messy, and inherently growth-oriented.
We’ll ground together, discuss equity, privilege, power, and oppression, and how we can each cultivate a personal voice in the work of speaking out about our values.
While participants won’t leave knowing the “right” way to create an equity statement, they will leave with greater clarity around the basic principles of equity statements, their purpose and intention, and how to be in the ongoing practice of relationship-building—a central focal point in any equity process.
Who is this for:
This workshop is designed for yoga and wellness professionals. The contemporary western yoga wellness industrial complex would have us believe that there is no place for equity statements—that we are “all one.” What does an individual yoga teacher need an equity statement for, you might ask. Why would I, as someone who works as part of a yoga studio or community, benefit from considering this practice?
Because we are not all having the same experience. Period. Though we are “all one,” energetically and spiritually, it is very clear that we are not treated equally within our systems, our schools, our housing market, and yes, even in our yoga studios and wellness centers. We cannot separate our lived experiences from the work of healing ourselves and supporting others in healing; we cannot ignore the ways in which we carry our privileges into how we show up as teachers or space-holders.
Acknowledging these complexities and naming what we intend to do about it creates the potential for trust and accountability with communities who don’t hold the same privileges. And if we believe that the world we want to create is a community of equality (all-one) then we must begin by naming and disrupting the separations that prevent this from being so.
Our online presence—our website, social media, and larger branding identities, will all benefit from greater transparency about values, reparations processes, equitable access, and the intentions we hold as space-holders while seeking to facilitate healing practices.
What to expect:
Session 1: Creating a foundation - group agreements, shared language, and an introductory conversation to equity statements. We’ll explore questions like what are equity statements, what is their purpose or intention, and why might yoga and wellness professionals consider creating an equity statement?
Session 2: Diving deeper - Our second session will build on the first as we unpack what we mean by the phrase “equity lens” and how we might put such a lens into practice. We’ll discuss questions like who are you and where are you in your equity process? How and where do we begin? And what examples might we look to for inspiration? Homework will be offered for those who wish to create an initial draft and bring it to our final session for group conversation, reflection, and support.
Session 3: Wrapping up - Our final session will be a space for us to share our equity statement drafts and receive feedback and input from our fellow community members. We’ll talk about long-term goals and additional considerations, and explore any concluding questions that might help us each continue the process independently.
Dates & Times:
We’ll meet from 10-12:30pm PST / 1-3:30pm EST on all three days:
Saturday, February 26th
Sunday, February 27th
Saturday, March 12th
For the sake of accessibility, we will be recording and sharing replays with those who register. Please note that—to build community and deepen connections, we will be exploring conversations in breakout rooms (which are not viewable in the recording); we ask our workshop participants to attend as many of the three sessions as possible in order to make the most of this learning space.
Registration closes Friday, February 25th at 3pm pacific.
Zoom links will be sent by Friday, February 25th at 3:30pm pacific.
Pricing:
Your ticket purchase is non-refundable and registration is available according to a three-tiered justice pricing structure. You are invited to reflect on what you are able to contribute and if you are in a position to pay at the higher end of the scale to support others who are not positioned to pay the highest tier of the scale. No one will be turned away for lack of funds! If you need additional support, please contact me directly.
Community (supported by your peers): $199
Sustain (covers your enrollment): $249
Support (covers your enrollment and supports your peers): $289
15% of workshop proceeds will go directly to the Native Justice Coalition.
Registration is now closed. We will be offering this again in 2022. Subscribe to my newsletter to receive news about the next dates.
Workshop Facilitators
Tristan Katz they/them
Tristan is a white, transgender, nonbinary, and queer writer, educator, and digital strategist based on the ancestral land of the Cowlitz and Clackamas peoples, now known as Portland, OR. Tristan offers justice-focused marketing individual and group mentorship programs for yoga and wellness professionals, along with workshops and trainings centered around queer identity and transgender awareness with an anti-oppression and intersectional lens. They are proud to sit on the Board of Directors at Accessible Yoga—a non-profit working, through education and advocacy, to share the teachings and benefits of yoga with those who have been marginalized, and to identify and remove barriers to access, build strong networks, and advocate for an accessible, equitable, and dynamic yoga culture. You’ll find Tristan on Instagram at @tristankatzcreative.
Christopher Hirsh he/they
Christopher is a white, queer, non-binary person located in what is now known as Portland, OR—the traditional village sites of the Multnomah, Wasco, Cowlitz, Kathlamet, Clackamas, Bands of Chinook, Tualatin, Kalapuya, and Molalla peoples. They are a multi-disciplinary artist, educator, anti-oppression facilitator, and coach. They have spent the last six years studying and connecting meditation and mindfulness, the breath, movement practices, and nervous system regulation techniques with an intention to resource the human body, mind, and spirit, and deepen our capacity in moments of individual and social change. They work with groups and individuals to prioritize ongoing education, promote authentic accountability, and invest in positive action. They’ve trained in performance technique, trauma-informed care, energy medicine, Yoga sciences, breath and vocal production, active listening, psychological first aid and so much more. You’ll find Christopher on Instagram @christopher_hirsh.
What’s with two white people offering this work?
We believe it is critical that white people develop their understanding, consciousness, and practices to create the conditions for change and liberation in our communities. As white people who have been invested in our own processes of learning and growth for many years, we believe we are uniquely positioned to support other white people. If you are Black, Indigenous, or a Person of Color and want to join to see what we are offering, please do—we have ample experience working across difference and we thank you for your trust. We also know that the most likely participant in an Equity Statement 101 offering will be white; this is the natural course of entry-level social justice education: it’s mostly for white people. And we also know that entry-level work is often much more exhausting for non-white folks to facilitate. Our teachers of color ask us to get our people. So here we are.
If you believe you should learn from teachers of color, we absolutely support your choice and have many colleagues and teachers to recommend. In fact, we’ll be offering recommendations at the conclusion of our workshop. There are abundant opportunities to learn this work from teachers and facilitators of color; we both continually and regularly invest in that practice, and believe you should, too.