Dr. Rima Vesely-Flad
On any given week, you can find me hosting a meditation circle in my living room, biking through the Blue Ridge Mountains, or deep in a book of poetry by Audre Lorde or June Jordan. I’m also a scholar, author of three books, and the Founding Director of the Initiative for Black Buddhist Studies — but those credentials only tell part of the story. I’ve taught inside Sing Sing Prison as well as the traditional college classroom. I’ve lived in Venezuela, South Africa, and Ghana. I’m raising two kids and have fostered more than ten. My life and my work have never been separate. The Initiative for Black Buddhist Studies grew out of all of it — a place where Baldwin and Lorde, bell hooks, and ancient dharma teachings meet the real weight of living in this world.