Damali Robertson

I am an artist, writer, mindfulness practitioner, facilitator, and emerging filmmaker who is guided by three values: Love, Liberation, and Compassion. I began telling stories on film in 2014. I launched my YouTube channel @freedomnarratives in 2019 and have talked to dozens of people about activism, racial equity, belonging, mindfulness, and de-colonial scholarship over the last several years.

I am also the Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at the California Institute for Integral Studies (CIIS) in San Francisco. In that role, I’ve had transformative conversations with Rhonda Magee, Monica Guzman, Yung Pueblo, and Tricia Hersey. My life and work are grounded in mindfulness practices that began at East Bay Meditation Center.

I was introduced to East Bay Meditation Center (EBMC) in 2013. I began attending day-longs for Black women and then became part of the 5th cohort of Practice in Transformative Action (PiTA). PiTA is a year-long mindfulness program for activists. I have continued my relationship with EBMC over the years in various capacities and was invited back to be an apprentice teacher for PiTA’s 10th cohort. As an apprentice teacher, I have intentionally made space for grief (both individual and collective feelings of grief) because it is a universal experience. I believe individuals, institutions, communities, and the world around us would benefit from making more room for our grief.