Seattle ‘Yoga Class Class for People of Color’ Excludes Caucasians

A yoga studio in Seattle is accused of promoting racial discrimination by holding special sessions which explicitly exclude “whites.”

Rainier Beach Yoga in Seattle has allowed “five queer people of color” to create a special class entitled “yoga for people of color,” an exclusionary yoga session whose rules expressly forbid “white people” from attending, reports KIRO radio host Dori Monson.

The class reportedly welcomes people of any body shape, size, gender, or yoga experience, according to an email blast received by a KIRO listener.

The class also invites “lesbian, bisexual, gay, queer and trans-friendly/affirming,” and identifies which “people of color” are OK, such as “African American/black/of the African Diaspora, Asian, South Asian, West Asian/Arab/Middle Eastern, Pacific Islander, First Nations/Alaskan Native/Native American/Indigenous, Chicano/Latino, or Multiracial/Mixed-Race.”

“White friends, allies and partners are respectfully asked not to attend,” the email, which the radio host says was also sent to him by the listener, specifically states.

Teresa Wang, one of the co-founders of the class, was asked what were to happen if a white person were to attend.

“Well, it’s a class for people of color, so he would be coming to that class knowing that we’re really clear about who we are asking to come to class, so . . . I’m not really sure because it hasn’t happened to us,” Wang said, who iterated the class was about making “people of color” feel comfortable. “So I don’t really know.”

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