Naropa University Announces Dr. Jasmine Syedullah as 2021 Lenz Foundation Distinguished Guest Lecturer
January 22 2021 - 2:35PM
Naropa University is happy to announce Jasmine Syedullah, PhD, as
the 2021 Fredrick P. Lenz Foundation Distinguished Guest Lecturer.
Syedullah is a black feminist political theorist of abolition and
holds the first Assistant Professor line in Vassar College's
Africana Studies Program.
Syedullah will offer a free, public lecture on February 4th at 6
pm (MST), on “Surviving White Supremacy: Towards a Radical Dharma
of Staying Fugitive” that will be broadcast live on Naropa’s
Facebook page and YouTube Channel. Syedullah’s lecture will take us
beyond binary moments of allegiance with antiracism efforts into
The Radical Dharma Framework for Liberation. Her talk will outline
“a collective, cumulative step-by-step contemplative alternative to
all the ways we might ‘defund the police’ in our minds, our
communities, and even our dreams of freedom.”
Before joining the faculty at Vassar, Syedullah taught at the
University of San Francisco and the University of California Santa
Cruz where she completed her PhD in Politics with a designated
emphasis in Feminist Studies and History of Consciousness. Her
current research centers on the fugitive writings of formerly
enslaved mother Harriet Jacobs and her abolitionist vision of
freedom. Out in the world, Syedullah is a core member of the
Radical Dharma Movement Project bringing embodied practices of
liberation to spaces of social justice, community organizing, and
institutional change.
Syedullah explains, “To live with fearlessness and grace (as
Rev. angel Kyodo williams instructs) in the face of our greatest
teachers—trauma, uncertainty, and change—we need well-worn
practices to bring us closer into integrity with our whole truth,
uniting everyday priorities with our highest ideals in real-time,
in community with each other, and in honor of our living ancestor,
mother earth. Especially in times of collective emergency, how we
protect and serve Black futures matters—not just for us, but for
all our future generations.”
This lecture is part of an annual series hosted by The Frederick
P. Lenz Foundation for American Buddhism and Naropa University. The
Lenz Foundation promotes the benefits of Zen Buddhism, meditation,
yoga, and related Buddhist practices in a manner complementary to
modern American society.
Regina Smith, Vice President of Mission, Culture, &
Inclusive Community, said, “Having Dr. Syedullah as our guest could
not be more timely or more needed, especially for our more
marginalized community members. Many of us are experiencing deep
spiritual fatigue as we are asked to rise, again and again, to the
occasion of ‘surviving white supremacy’ on a local, national, and
global level. Often times we forget we have the tools we need and
that nourishment is available in our communities, in our homes, and
in our very own hearts. We need each other and leaders like Dr.
Syedullah to remind us.”
You can RSVP for the virtual lecture here. The lecture is free
for all; donations are welcome.
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About Naropa University (Naropa.edu): Located in Boulder,
Colorado, Naropa University is a private liberal arts institution
offering undergraduate and graduate degree programs. As the
“birthplace of the modern mindfulness movement,” Naropa University
is a leader in contemplative education, an approach to learning and
teaching that integrates Eastern wisdom studies with traditional
Western scholarship. Naropa University is accredited by the Higher
Learning Commission.
About The Frederick P. Lenz Foundation
(fredericklenzfoundation.org): The Frederick P. Lenz Foundation for
American Buddhism promotes the benefits of Zen Buddhism,
meditation, yoga, and related Buddhist practices in a manner
complementary to modern American society. Past Lenz Foundation
Distinguished Lecturers at Naropa University have included Sharon
Salzberg, Meredith Monk, Gary Snyder, and Joanna Macy, among
others.
- Vassar_Jasmine_Syedullah_Headshot-scaled
Cassandra Smith
Naropa University
7205301370
csmith@naropa.edu