068. Radical Honesty with Saira Rao

Saira (NOT Sara) Rao grew up in Richmond, Virginia, the daughter of Indian immigrants. For forty years, she wasted her precious time aspiring to be white and accepted by dominant white society, a futile task for anyone not born with white skin. Several years ago, Saira began the painful process of dismantling her own internalized oppression. Saira is a lawyer-by-training, a former congressional candidate, a published novelist and an entrepreneur. Saira is the co-founder of Race2Dinner, the New York Bestselling Co-Author of White Women: Everything You Already Know About Your Own Racism and How To Do Better and the subject and Executive Producer of the documentary Deconstructing Karen.

In this episode, Anjali and Saira discuss:

• The role of radical honesty in challenging white supremacy


• How performative activism upholds the status quo


• How yoga practitioners can actively disrupt racism in yoga spaces


• The impact of speaking truth to power

Connect with Saira on Twitter or on Instagram @race2dinner @sairasameerarao 

Purchase Saira's book: White Women Everything You Already Know About Your Own Racism and How to Do Better

Watch Saira's documentary: Deconstructing Karen