About
Our Story
The 2020 uprisings after the murders of George Floyd and other Black people by police demonstrated clearly that many people in the US felt they were not heard. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. has said that “a riot is the language of the unheard.” Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC) activists initiated the Deep Listening for Social Change project as a social change movement to bring communities together to deeply listen to one another.
From a foundation of mindfulness, the DLSC project will use the practice and process of Deep Listening as an antiracist tool and a foundation for having difficult conversations in order to amplify and empower marginalized voices and create a greater sense of interconnection.
Deep listening is listening to understand, a way of hearing in which we are fully present with what is happening in the moment without trying to control it or judge it. We engage with a diverse pool of members from communities throughout the Twin Cities to collaboratively develop skills in deep listening.
The Deep Listening for Social Change project invites cohort participants to engage in and facilitate deep listening conversations with other activists and with members of communities who are not often heard in order to build a web of mutual support.
Thank you to our sponsors, Kataly Foundation and Clouds in Water Zen Center.
We are developing a process for LISTENING, led by a coalition of multicultural, multi-gender, multi-generational skilled facilitators to amplify and empower marginalized voices.
Our Mission
Deep Listening for Social Change is a peaceful action initiated by members of the Twin Cities BIPOC mindfulness community.
We are developing a process for LISTENING, led by a coalition of multicultural, multi-gender, multi-generational skilled facilitators to amplify and empower marginalized voices.
A deep listening approach supports self-reflection, encourages individual and collective healing, and builds interconnection, resilience and care.
Our Vision
We leverage resources and ancestral wisdom to organize, articulate, and act upon common goals that lead to social change.
We follow an iterative and phased process grounded in trust, communication, relationship building and cultural sensitivity.
Meet the Group
Camille Bryant has over fifteen years of experience as an Assistant Public Defender. She has worked in juvenile court, on adult felonies, misdemeanors and gross misdemeanors. She currently works in Minneapolis, MN. In addition to working for the public defender’s office, Ms. Bryant has served on several boards and committees. She currently serves on the council of the Minnesota State Bar Association (MSBA) and serves as the chair of the Legislative Committee.
Carol has worked on social justice programs and community-building for more than 50 years. She is Japanese-American, with maternal and paternal grandparents who were all immigrants. As a volunteer, she manages and plans programs, working with and for BIPOC communities, in applying spiritual practice toward the work of social and racial justice.
A writer, educator, facilitator and consultant with 15+ years of experience implementing and providing strategic guidance to a wide array of educational, non-profit and for-profit programs. An inspiring leader and communicator with a strong commitment to excellence, presence and mindfulness.
Camille Bryant has over fifteen years of experience as an Assistant Public Defender. She has worked in juvenile court, on adult felonies, misdemeanors and gross misdemeanors. She currently works in Minneapolis, MN. In addition to working for the public defender’s office, Ms. Bryant has served on several boards and committees. She currently serves on the council of the Minnesota State Bar Association (MSBA) and serves as the chair of the Legislative Committee.