The Cultural Relevance of Mindfulness Meditation as a Health Intervention for African Americans

Meditation offers great potential in helping the African American community by fostering holistic well-being, resilience and empowerment. In our society there are many systematic inequalities, and racial injustices, meditation provides an incredibly transformative practice that promotes healing for individuals and also healing for community. The National Center for Biotechnology Information has stated “African Americans experience a disproportionate rate of stress-related health conditions compared to European Americans. Mindfulness meditation has been shown to be effective for managing stress and various stress-related health conditions.” By cultivating self-awareness and mindfulness through meditation, the practice helps our African American community to heal when faced with discrimination, racism, and generational trauma.

Reference: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4102670/#:~:text=Fifteen%20African%20American%20adults%20with,enhanced%20self%2Dawareness%20and%20purposefulness.