The C.O.W.S. Counter-Racist Yoga Retreat: TORONTO 🇨🇦

The Context of White Supremacy Radio Program has dedicated eleven years to broadcasting counter-racist concepts and strategies to help Replace White Supremacy With Justice. Since becoming a certified yoga instructor in 2018, Gus T. Renegade has emphasized correct eating and exercise as critical components of self-care and counter-racism. Non-white people won't/don't have the vitality needed to neutralize Racists if we're reckless with nourishing, strengthening, and replenishing our minds and bodies.

The C.O.W.S. Counter-Racist Yoga Retreats are uniquely designed to help black people (Victims of White Supremacy) detoxify and nourish ourselves while courteously exchanging views and relaxation with other non-white people. Our first two retreats, in Virginia and Florida respectively, had lots of delicious plant-based meals, yoga, and courteous dialog.

We plan to continue this event as long as it's constructive. Up next, we travel north of the U.S. border to Toronto.

Date: Thursday, May 21st to Sunday, May 24th. 
Where: Toronto, Ontario Canada

There are a number of Toronto locations that are within 40 minutes of the Toronto airport where we'll have beds for all participants, adequate bathrooms, and space for yoga. Once we have a definitive number of participants, we'll send out information with an exact address for the retreat.
 
The investment for the Toronto retreat is $660. This includes:

• All meals (Chef Nadirah Khalifah prepared all meals for the Virginia  and Florida retreats and will be flying north to cook plant-based breakfasts, lunches and dinners)
• Lodging
• Morning and Evening yoga classes taught by Gus T. Renegade (200hr certified/ 85hr prenatal certified)
• Counter-Racist Workshops
• Quality contact with like-minded Victims of Racism
• Gift Bag with C.O.W.S. Retreat T-Shirt and surprises.

This does not include:

• Transportation
• Travel Insurance
• Yoga Mat

A $400 deposit is due by February 29th. The deposit is non-refundable. The remaining $260 is due by May 1st. Payments can be submitted using PayPal (https://www.paypal.me/TheCOWS), CashApp (https://cash.app/$TheCOWS), or check/money order. Please, email Gus for mailing information.

For Parents!
There were a number of attempted parents who mailed Gus with sincere interest in attending the retreats with their offspring. However, Racism makes many things financially challenging for non-white people. To compensate, as long as there are eight paying adults signed up for the retreat, the cost for children ages 14 and under is $330. All adults and children are expected to participate in all workshops and yoga sessions during the retreat. Children must be at least 10 years of age.

Parents must submit a deposit of $165 by February 29th to reserve a spot for your child. The remaining $165 is due by May 1st.

Hopefully, you'll consider getting ready for the summer of 2020 with a constructive, counter-racist twist. #EatWellUseLogic

The Prep School Negro on Ms. Rachel Jeantel

The C•O•W•S• began July with a visit from Gwendolyn Valencia Lee's son, André Robert Lee. We discussed his  documentary film (The Prep School Negro), Clarence Thomas, and George Zimmerman's trial. Mr. Lee's comments on Ms. Rachel Jeantel were appreciated and important. #ANTIBLACKNESS

When I think about the responses people had to her, you know, there's so much pain associated with so many people. For one, White people just couldn't take her. It was just too much. That guy, Mr. West, the criminal defense attorney, in a sense we almost can't criticize him too much cause he was just doing his job. You know? The job connected to the political system, the justice system is another long story. But his job was to destroy her and make her look... to take her credit away. That's his number one job, and he did it so well. It just so happens that we had this heavyweight, dark-skinned, African-American woman - young woman, who had never been in this environment.

I think about my community. When I first went to Germantown Friends School, you know, people made fun of me because of the way spoke. And my mother was a heavyset black woman. And people in our community [black people] made fun of her. And she had her own issues that were never connected to that. So when I looked at her, and I saw how much power she had up on that stand. You know? Cause she wasn't taking no stuff! You know? Part of me wished that she had been trained a little bit to deal with the pressure of being in court. But the other part of me saw how free she was. She had a level of freedom that was almost too much for the world to take.

I've had friends say things like I wish she was more articulate. And I'm like, what's that about? What's in you to say you wish she was more articulate? She was so strong on that stand. But I think when I'm getting my connection with the Post Traumatic Slave Syndrome and the story, was that I think that the observation that many people had about her and the criticism people had about her, were connected to folks' own personal pain. They looked at this heavyset, dark-sinned woman who didn't speak "proper english" and they were ready to come at her and destroy her because she was embarrassing and terrible. And needed to be more articulate. And needed to be more clear.

And I said, for me, she is like a character out of an Alice Walker novel. She is so free. She is so free. And she didn't want to be there. But she was there. Yes, I wish she understood the court system a little bit more beyond what she sees on TV. But she had her own personal existence. She had no desire to be there, but she was forced into that spotlight and that space.