The Black Buddhist Movement

Recent years have seen a steady rise of Black interest in Buddhism; in building Buddhist communities that work for Black and Brown people; and that incorporate racial justice into their spiritual and ethical teachings and practices. Black dharma teachers are, of course, at the forefront of this movement. Below you can find resources on their teachings, in their own words. When purchasing their books, please consider doing so from your nearest Black-owned bookstore, which you can find here.

Faith Adiele: see the resources on her website. Follow Faith on Twitter. See her book, Meeting Faith: The Forest Journals of a Black Buddhist Nun.

Hilda Ryumon Gutiérrez Baldoquín: dharma talk at Spirit Rock. See her edited collection, Dharma, Color, and Culture: New Voices in Western Buddhism.

Merle Kodo Boyd: see the collection of her writings at Lincroft Zen Sangha and Lion’s Roar.

Myokei Caine-Barrett: See articles at Lion’s Roar and Tricycle. Follow on Twitter.

Angela Dews: Dharma talk at New York Insight Meditation Center. See her book, Still, in the City: Creating Peace of Mind in the Midst of Urban Chaos.

Acharya Gaylon Ferguson: collection of articles at Lion’s Roar. See his books Natural Bravery: Fear and Fearlessness as a Direct Path of Awakening and Natural Wakefulness: Discovering the Wisdom We Were Born With.

Jozen Tamori Gibson: Listen to his dharma talks at Dharma Seed.

Cheryl A. Giles: collection of articles at the Harvard Divinity School. Co-editor of Black and Buddhist: What Buddhism Can Teach Us about Race, Resilience, Transformation, and Freedom.

Herbie Hancock: video lecture: Buddhism and Creativity. Read his Buddhist-inspired Open Letter to the Next Generation of Artists. See his book, Reaching Beyond: Improvisations on Jazz, Buddhism, and a Joyful Life.

Jules Shuzen Harris: collections of articles at Lion’s Roar and Shambhala. See his book Zen beyond Mindfulness: Using Buddhist and Modern Psychology for Transformational Practice.

bell hooks: Collection of articles at Lion’s Roar.

Charles Johnson: collection of articles at Lion’s Roar. See selected interviews here, here, and here. See his book, Turning the Wheel: Essays on Buddhism and Writing.

Gyozan Royce Andrew Johnson: dharma talk at the Houston Zen Center.

Sensei Alex Kakuyo: collections of articles, videos, and more at his website. More article collections on Medium and The Tattooed Buddha. Follow on Twitter. See his book, Perfectly Ordinary: Buddhist Teachings for Everyday Life.

Ruth King: find resources at her website. Check out her Mindful of Race Institute and her book, Mindful of Race: Transforming Racism from the Inside Out.

Lama Rod Owens: collections of articles, podcasts, and videos at his website. Follow on Twitter. See his book Love and Rage: The Path of Liberation through Anger, and contributions to Radical Dharma: Talking Race, Love, and Liberation.

Venerable Pannavati: See collection of articles and videos at her website. Listen to her dharma talks on Dharma Seed. Follow on Twitter.

Meikle Paschal: Read this interview. See his book, The Black Buddhist: A Spiritual Journey.

Rhonda V. Magee: collections of articles, podcasts, and videos at her website. Follow on Twitter. See her book The Inner Work of Racial Justice: Healing Ourselves and Transforming Our Communities Through Mindfulness.

Kamilah Majied: collection of articles at Lion’s Roar. See more resources at her website. Follow on Twitter.

Zenju Earthlyn Manuel: collections of articles at Lion’s Roar & Tricycle, with featured resources on her website. Follow on Twitter. See her books:

Konda Mason: Collection of articles at Lion’s Roar. Listen to her dharma talks on Dharma Seed and Brown Rice Hour. Follow on Twitter.

Sebene Selassie: read her blog, see her videos, listen to her podcasts, visit her website, and follow her on Twitter. See her book You Belong: A Call for Connection.

Gina Sharpe: Collection of articles at Lion’s Roar. Listen to her dharma talks on Dharma Seed. More resources on her website.

Ralph Steele: collection of articles at Life Transition Meditation Center. Listen to his dharma talks at Dharma Live and Dharma Seed. See his book Tending the Fire: Through War and the Path of Meditation.

Jasmine Syedullah: Follow on Twitter. See selected videos here, here, and here. See her contributions to Radical Dharma: Talking Race, Love, and Liberation and Buddhism and Whiteness: Critical Reflections.

Alice Walker: see articles at Tricycle, New York Times, and Lion’s Roar (here and here). See videos here and here. Listen to Pema Chodron and Alice Walker in Conversation. Read her book, We Are The Ones We Have Been Waiting For: Inner Light in a Time of Darkness.

Larry Ward: collections of articles at Lion’s Roar and Tricycle. See also his work at the Lotus Institute, and his book America’s Racial Karma: An Invitation to Heal.

angel Kyodo williams: collection of articles, podcasts, videos, and more at her website. Follow on Twitter. See her book Being Black: Zen and the Art of Living with Fearlessness and Grace, and her contributions to Radical Dharma: Talking Race, Love, and Liberation.

Jan Willis: collection of articles at Lion’s Roar. See her books: Dharma Matters: Women, Race, and Tantra and Dreaming Me: Black, Baptist, and Buddhist ― One Woman’s Spiritual Journey, as well as her contributions to All Out of Faith: Southern Women on Spirituality and Afrikan Wisdom: New Voices Talk Black Liberation, Buddhism, and Beyond.

Pamela Ayo Yetunde: collection of articles at Lion’s Roar. Co-founder of Center of the Heart and Buddhist Justice Reporter: The George Floyd Trials. Co-editor of Black and Buddhist: What Buddhism Can Teach Us about Race, Resilience, Transformation, and Freedom.

ADDITIONAL BOOKS ON BUDDHISM & RACIAL JUSTICE

Joseph Cheah: Race and Religion in American Buddhism: White Supremacy and Immigrant Adaptation.

Chenxing Han: Be the Refuge: Raising the Voices of Asian American Buddhists.

Thich Nhat Hanh: Together We Are One: Honoring Our Diversity, Celebrating Our Connection.

George Yancy (editor): Buddhism and Whiteness: Critical Reflections.