Mohammed Ali, Conscientious Objector to Vietnam War. Boxing Champion

Patrice Lumumba, First Prime Minister of the Democratic Republic of the Congo

Carlisle School, Pennsylvania 1879 to 1918

Toussaint Louverture, Haitian Liberation Leader

Veterans Apologize to Sioux Nation at Standing Rock

Black emissaries

sing, dance, write, build, love

On turtle island

Overcoming greed

Revolutionary Fire

Delivers justice

Unhappy soul mine

Don’t try to shift focus elsewhere

Your garden to sow

Silenced Histories

Rejected our Belonging

Trying Hard to heal

Saint Louis Art Museum: Adinkra Cloth (Ghana, Africa) Mid- to late 20th century, Public Domain, 12 ft. 8 in. x 85 in. (386.1 x 215.9 cm

Turns out they were there

Escaping different things

Pennsylvania

Who will stand with you?

Salivating for freedom,

Friends make themselves clear.

sugarcane is grass

does not need a boat to grow

sings through the sunlight

Our history, Black history: liberating our past workshop participant haikus from 2025

embers of fire

Warring above the great sea

Freedom is at hand

Loaves rise, wills unbent—

Tide pulls home from Waterford,

Sail west, beckoning.

Kuba Cloth collection of Brooklyn Museum. Image courtesy of wikimedia commons, licensed under CC 3.0 Kuba cloth is traditional to the Congo region in central Africa.

enslaved people rise

whites choose sides. It’s been building

Freedom takes courage

Sugar, coffee, rum

Hand woven textiles, boom town

Triangular trade

Duamish river

Flows into the puget sound

The heart returns home

Tears Running Down

Gut Wrenched in Anger and pain

Healing together

Our Peace, Our Power

Online Black Meditation Group

Meditation Sundays 6 pm to 6:30 pm EST

Heart Light Cards

Order Cards

Heart Light Cards

This handsome 4 x 4 inch 20 card set offers uplifting statements that encourage us to use meditation and other contemplative practices to align our values with our actions. The term anti-racism doesn’t fully capture the positive power of the awareness and commitment to relate to racism on a day-to-day basis in a transformative way. Instead we use the idea of contemplative social action which doesn’t depend on attachment to a particular definition of justice or a predetermined outcome.

We begin with our own minds, paying attention to the kinds of thoughts, feelings and ideas about the world we are holding on to. With that awareness we can ask is this state of mind contributing to division and hatred or respectful connection and understanding? The 45 page booklet contains readings and suggested activities that cultivate action guided by conviction in the indestructible goodness of all beings. The set is $30 plus $10 for postage.

Our Peace, Our Power

Black Meditation Retreat

Summer 2026

Teaching Team Members to be announced.

Details coming soon.

What people are saying about Heart Light

Dr. Damita Brown approaches her work with loving directness and unparalleled thoughtfulness. The space she created and opened up for me and the team I work with allowed us to uncover our racist biases in heart, mind and practice. In working with her, I learned both spaciousness and urgency in how I approach racial justice work.

anonymous
I worked with Damita through my school. I looked forward to every meeting we had together, and what stood out the most with Damita was the calmness they brought to each setting. Anti-racist work is hard. It is a lot of understanding your faults as a person and being able to change yourself for the better of society and especially for our students. Damita's workshop was a space for learning and growing that was welcoming and highly beneficial for all. Creating an anti-racist action plan in these workshops made me realize, as a white educator, that there is an opportunity to grow daily. It's not just writing things down but coming up with ways to keep growing and understanding how we can make situations better for our students, not just for ourselves. It is so easy to be complicit with society and performative in anti-racism work. Damita's workshops had this warm and inviting space that made us all want to break free from that and really make a difference.

anonymous
I liked the overall theme of bringing the topic of racism into a contemplative setting. I liked that we started from a place of love by basic goodness being pointed out. I liked the topic of diaspora identity and want to learn more about it and how the colonial mindset comes from the horrible conditions in Europe. I loved the inquiry and learning around blood on the hands. The poster exercise was a great way to bring the learnings home. The inquires I am carrying forward are about diaspora identity, the whole concept of whiteness, not just what benefits come from white privilege but what have I/we lost, what has been the cost of it to white people. What have we lost as a result? Finally, I carry the question of how to let go of white privilege? What would that look like?

Anonymous
Damita's breadth of knowledge about racism and contemplative path together, so both were woven through workshop. Use of collage as a way to contemplate and express (along with music). Experiential exercises (raise your hand exercise). Perspective of family lineage inheritance related to racism/collective trauma. Dialogue between Damita and participants. I appreciated the lunch together and food/drink offerings throughout the workshop.

anonymous
I liked Damita's presence, humour, knowledge, buddhist-practice-orientation, and creativity. I appreciated Barry's contributions, as well. I liked the arc of the learning - from our European roots of trauma to immigration to North America (without awareness of the indigenous perspective and genocide or an awareness of slavery, past and present), to waking up to our responsibilities as caring citizens and members of society who must work to educate ourselves and each other about White privilege and it's hidden impact on people of colour.

Anonymous

Contact

Get in touch

heartlightaction@gmail.com