Episode Description

Sharon welcomes Shakil Choudhury for Episode 198 of the Metta Hour Podcast. Shakil is an educator, consultant, and author with over 25 years of experience in the field of racial justice, diversity, and inclusion. He coaches executive teams and facilitates dialogue processes to resolve inter-group conflict, having led projects internationally and with organizations locally. He is the author of “Deep Diversity: A Compassionate, Scientific Approach to Achieving Racial Justice.”

In this episode, Sharon and Shakil discuss

• How Shakil was drawn to racial diversity work
• The first representation Shakil was exposed to in media
• The impact of Interconnection
• Holding tension between Individualism and Community
• Developing Equity Literacy around oppressive social structures
• Learning the patterns of inequality
• 360-hour rule of learning
• The tipping point of George Floyd’s death
• The emotionality of racial justice
• Shame as a learning tool
• How do you make people change?
• The power of listening
• The four pillars of Shakil’s approach to racial healing
• Emotional beings first, thinking beings second
• The function of Bias
• How the groups we belong to form our identity
• The dynamics of in-groups and out-groups
• The nuance of power dynamics

Additional Resources

The episode closes with Shakil leading a ten-minute guided empowerment meditation. To learn more about Shakil’s work, you can visit his website, and please get yourself a copy of his book Deep Diversity, available in hardcover, paperback, ebook, and audiobook formats.

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