Travel Lightly and Downsize Your Burdens with Valarie Kaur

Nov 24, 2021

Valarie Kaur, renowned civil rights leader and celebrated prophetic voice, joins the host to discuss downsizing the burdens we carry. They explore embracing our true selves, naming and honoring ancestors, Sikh faith and unity, the power of believing in stories, darkness as both tomb and womb, and standing against prejudice.

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Introduction

00:00 • 2min

Embracing Our Superpowers

01:42 • 3min

Naming and Honoring Ancestors

04:50 • 3min

Exploring the Sikh Faith and the Concept of Oneness

07:38 • 3min

The Power of Believing in Testimonies and Stories

10:22 • 17min

Exploring the Darkness of the Tomb and the Darkness of the Womb

27:51 • 4min

Belief and Unity in the Face of Prejudice

31:51 • 13min

On this episode of Love Period, Valarie Kaur joins Jacqui in conversation to discuss the theme of Chapter Three: "Travel Lightly. Downsize the Burdens You Carry." Valarie Kaur is a renowned civil rights leader and celebrated prophetic voice "at the forefront of progressive change" (Center for American Progress). Valarie burst into American consciousness in the wake of the 2016 election when her Watch Night Service address went viral with 40 million views worldwide. Her question "Is this the darkness of the tomb – or the darkness of the womb?" reframed the political moment and became a mantra for people fighting for change. Valarie now leads the Revolutionary Love Project to reclaim love as a force for justice in America.

In the last twenty years, as a lawyer, innovator, and award-winning filmmaker, Valarie has helped win policy change on multiple fronts – hate crimes, racial profiling, immigration detention, solitary confinement, Internet freedom, and more. She founded Groundswell Movement, Faithful Internet, and the Yale Visual Law Project to equip new generations of advocates. Valarie has been a regular TV commentator on MSNBC and contributor to CNN, NPR, PBS, the Hill, Huffington Post, and the Washington Post. A daughter of Sikh farmers in California's heartland, Valarie earned degrees at Stanford University, Harvard Divinity School, and Yale Law School. Valarie's debut book, See No Stranger: A Memoir and Manifesto of Revolutionary Love, expands on her "blockbuster" TED Talk and is available wherever books are sold.

New to Season 2, after the interview, Jacqui concludes with a reflection on making this practical in everyday life.

Resources:

Jacqui's new book Fierce Love can be found here.
Valarie's memoir, See No Stranger can be found here.
A transcript for this episode can be found here.

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Rev. Jacqui Lewis Ph.D.: Facebook | Instagram | Twitter
Valarie Kaur: Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Website | Revolutionary 911 Hub
Center for Action and Contemplation: Facebook | Instagram | Twitter