Justin Michael Williams, Shelly Tygielski, and Mario Van Peebles: How We Ended Racism

Justin Michael Williams, Shelly Tygielski, and Mario Van Peebles: How We Ended Racism

Justin Michael Williams & Mario Van Peebles & Shelly Tygielski November 7, 2023

The end of racism—really? When your eyes stop rolling, tune in to this podcast to hear why it’s actually possible—in our lifetimes—to free our society from systemic racial oppression and  injustice. In part one of this episode of Insights at the Edge, Tami Simon speaks with Justin Michael Williams and Shelly Tygielski about their new book, How We Ended Racism. In part two, filmmaker and activist Mario Van Peebles joins the conversation to share his own hope-giving perspective. 

This stirring and uplifting podcast explores the five assumptions that perpetuate racism; the eight pillars of possibility; the pledge to help end racism; how our inner work relates to the outer change that we’re working toward; assertion versus assessment, and learning to recognize our own biases; shadow work and confronting the concept of supremacy; taking action where we’re standing right now; “loving with bigger arms”; crossing the divide within families; the metaphor of the inherited house; the practice of calling forward; intraconnection; the link between exposure and empathy; the SUSS process: State, Uncover, Synergize, and Select; and more.

Note: This episode originally aired on Sounds True One, where these special episodes of Insights at the Edge are available to watch live on video and with exclusive access to Q&As with our guests. Learn more at join.soundstrue.com.

Justin Michael Williams is a pioneering transformational voice for diversity, inclusion, and wellness. He is an award-winning speaker, Grammy®-nominated recording artist, and author of Stay Woke: A Meditation Guide for the Rest of Us. Visit justinmichaelwilliams.com.

Author photo © Jamaal

Mario Van Peebles made his directorial debut with NEW JACK CITY. The film was heralded as a gangster classic and became Warner Brothers' most profitable movie of 1991.

Mario went on to direct and act in several other films including his multicultural western POSSE, the award-winning political thriller PANTHER, about the Black Panthers Party for self-defense and BAADASSSSS! He started acting professionally on the stage at 11 years old, his feature film breakout, was in the movie, HEARTBREAK RIDGE with Clint Eastwood. He went on to act in numerous projects, including playing political, icon, Malcolm, X in the feature film ALI directed by Michael Mann. The Van Peebles family are no strangers to “edutainment” Mario is not afraid to take on subjects that challenge. He wrote, directed, produced and starred in ARMED a psychological, thriller, about a good guy with easy access to meds and weapons of war. Passionate about social justice and raising Eco consciousness, Van Peebles did a series called MARIO’S GREEN HOUSE chronicling his family’s comic attempts to go green while living in Hollywood. In the documentary space he did the FIRST AMENDMENT PROJECT for Sundance featuring the renowned poet Amiri Baraka. He made FAIR GAME which explored the prison industrial complex and BRING YOUR A GAME which shares the necessary skills for young black boys to thrive and survive. 

Shelly Tygielski is a trauma-informed mindfulness teacher, speaker, and activist. She founded the CNN Hero-featured global grassroots organization Pandemic of Love, and is the author of Sit Down to Rise Up. Visit shellytygielski.com.

Author photo © Demetrius Philp

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Subscribe to Insights at the Edge to hear all of Tami’s interviews (transcripts available too!), featuring Eckhart Tolle, Caroline Myss, Tara Brach, Jack Kornfield, Adyashanti, and many more.

Meet Your Host: Tami Simon

Founded Sounds True in 1985 as a multimedia publishing house with a mission to disseminate spiritual wisdom. She hosts a popular weekly podcast called Insights at the Edge, where she has interviewed many of today's leading teachers. Tami lives with her wife, Julie M. Kramer, and their two spoodles, Rasberry and Bula, in Boulder, Colorado.

Photo © Jason Elias

Also By Author

Justin Michael Williams, Shelly Tygielski, and Mario V...

The end of racism—really? When your eyes stop rolling, tune in to this podcast to hear why it’s actually possible—in our lifetimes—to free our society from systemic racial oppression and  injustice. In part one of this episode of Insights at the Edge, Tami Simon speaks with Justin Michael Williams and Shelly Tygielski about their new book, How We Ended Racism. In part two, filmmaker and activist Mario Van Peebles joins the conversation to share his own hope-giving perspective. 

This stirring and uplifting podcast explores the five assumptions that perpetuate racism; the eight pillars of possibility; the pledge to help end racism; how our inner work relates to the outer change that we’re working toward; assertion versus assessment, and learning to recognize our own biases; shadow work and confronting the concept of supremacy; taking action where we’re standing right now; “loving with bigger arms”; crossing the divide within families; the metaphor of the inherited house; the practice of calling forward; intraconnection; the link between exposure and empathy; the SUSS process: State, Uncover, Synergize, and Select; and more.

Note: This episode originally aired on Sounds True One, where these special episodes of Insights at the Edge are available to watch live on video and with exclusive access to Q&As with our guests. Learn more at join.soundstrue.com.

Justin Michael Williams: Stay Woke

Justin Michael Williams is a meditation teacher and personal coach who is also a Billboard top 20 recording artist. With Sounds True, he has published Stay Woke: A Meditation Guide for the Rest of Us. In this special video episode of Insights at the Edge, Tami Simon speaks with Justin about his upcoming “Stay Woke, Give Back” tour, in which he will explain his unique approach to meditation and give copies of Stay Woke to youth in various cities across the US. Justin explains his “freedom meditation” technique and the experiences that led him to practicing mindfulness. Tami and Justin also discuss the blind spots of traditional meditation, the need for spiritual practices to acknowledge real-life struggles, and the dangers of spiritual bypassing. Finally, they talk about why it’s essential we begin teaching all children mindfulness skills from an early age and how we as a society can make that happen. (66 minutes)

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