Discharging Hurts from Colonialism, White Supremacy, and Other Oppressions
I grew up in post-colonial India, where assimilating into the British colonial culture, ideas, and language was considered a sign of intelligence. Most parents tried hard to have their children attend English schools. Those were the “good” schools. After arriving in the United States, I got the message that to succeed I had to assimilate into the dominant U.S. culture.
At the recent South, Central, and West Asian Workshop, it was good to discharge on how these hurts had kept getting restimulated and added to other early hurts that had made me feel hopeless. We were encouraged to go early and discharge where we’d had to give up.
A highlight of the workshop was leading a support group of beautiful, brilliant South, Central, and West Asian and North African men. We found connections as immigrants, parents, and children of immigrants. We were all facing climate change. We felt unwanted. We discharged early hurts from colonialism, white supremacy, classism, and domination by the dominant culture.
USA
Reprinted from the RC e-mail discussion list for leaders of South, Central, and West Asian-heritage people
(Present Time 205, October 2021)