jamilah malika is a Mentorship Lead at New Leaf Foundation which does work to bring mindfulness and yoga-based tools into spaces that are least-served and often most stigmatized; increasing access to positive resources for youth who face violence, neglect, poverty and marginalization. As well as an artist and writer passionate about anti-oppression, jamilah is currently completing an MFA in Writing at the School of the Arts Institute of Chicago.
This is a different kind of conversation diving into the important issues surrounding anti-oppression. jamilah talks about her role in New Leaf and what this organization does for the community by offering trauma-informed and anti-oppression yoga focusing on inclusivity and accessibility to all regardless of gender, sexual orientation, body shape, race, and class. jamilah then discusses her personal history of experiencing alienation and her concerns of cultural appropriation in the yoga community, but after going to a class to support a friend, she realized that she enjoyed the embodied experience of the practice.
Kathryn and jamilah get into a discussion of the systems of oppression in yoga and how the lack of representation of certain bodies (fat, black, etc.) is so damaging. jamilah talks about how to set up a safe and positive space and how she experienced many lessons learned by trial and error – a yoga space should be relatable vs. aspirational (a place that you ‘get to’). She talks about how people of privilege can make an impact through small, consistent action in the spaces they occupy.
jamilah would like to let folks know she mispronounced janaya’s name; the second syllable is I, not A, and she’s sorry. also, she’s not sure about if ‘mammy/mule’ is an audre lorde reference or a zora neale hurston reference or which smart black femme said it first – if you know, please message jamilah at jamilahmalika@gmail.com xo
In this episode…
jamilah malika \\ @jamilahmalika
New Leaf Foundation https://newleafyoga.org
Rachel Ricketts https://www.rachelricketts.com
Ericka Hart http://www.ihartericka.com/bio/
Layla Saad http://laylafsaad.com
Rachel Cargle https://www.rachelcargle.com
Democracy Now https://www.democracynow.org
Black Lives Matter https://blacklivesmatter.com
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For details on where and when Kathryn is teaching Worldwide in 2019 and beyond, visit the Workshops page.
