PART I: Śrī Guru and Bhakti

1.How did you come to meet Śrīla Gurudeva, Śrīla Bhaktivedanta Nārāyaṇa Goswami Mahārāja?

I received Veṇu Gītā in 96 from a neighbor’s friend who had just been with him in Vrindavan and she had suggested I meet him but it wasn’t until Syamarani Didi came to where I lived in 1999 that I received another one of his books. She again suggested I go meet him and I went to Badger a few months later and waited 6 months until he came to LAX airport on his way to San Diego. That is where I first met him but I consider “meeting” him as well via his books.

2. What enthuses you in your bhakti practice? What nourishes your practice?

Association with those more advanced and who have so much love for my Guru and other dear Vaiṣṇavas. If not possible in person then:

• Reading their books

• Attending the many Zoom classes available almost daily

• Facebook Live Bhāgavatam readings

• Reading groups

• Ārotik and offerings at home to my Thakurji

• Kīrtan

• Sevā to other devotees

• Japa

• Book distribution

PART II: Journey in Practice

3. When you are not practicing bhakti or are at work, how do you spend your day?

So basically the question is when you are in Māyā (not working or attempting bhakti)what are you doing,  I think that’s basically my day. I work from home, and my day basically revolves around working, self care, childcare and home duties. So I:

• Practice mṛdaṅga or whatever I’m learning at the moment

• Do sewing, crafts & art projects

• Walk, hike, bike and workout at the gym

• Cook, clean, shop, organize

• Learn something new

4. Have you ever experienced any challenges or obstacles limiting your bhakti practice?

4a. Could you briefly please share about them and how you overcame them?

Biggest obstacle has been trying to work fulltime as a single mother with very limited opportunities for association. Sometimes there is nothing you can do but keep trying, recognize all the opportunities that are in fact present for you  and pray for the patience with determination that will eventually fructify into more opportunities for sevā and association.

PART III: Culture and Cooperation

5. Have you ever experienced racial tension within the spiritual community/saṅga?

5a. Do you feel spiritual communities, whether local or at large, can be insensitive to one's struggles, whether based on race or otherwise? Please explain.

Absolutely I have experienced this. There are many “devotees” who are racist openly and there are those who are just unaware that it is an issue. Insensitivity in general comes from a lack of understanding and awareness so I think having the opportunity to share personal struggles related to the issue of race or other identifications can be helpful. Being heard, being seen and being loved are as  necessary for children as they are for adults in any community whether spiritual or not.

6. Do you feel race and cultural competence are important to address within Gauḍīya Vaishnava circles? Please explain.

6a. How do envision Śrīla Gurudeva's saṅga being more cooperative and structured? 

Co-operation requires a collection of operatives that meet and produce a result of some type. We already have many operatives, maybe we just need more “meeting” Gurudeva taught that there are six ideal ways to engage in loving relationships with one another; giving and accepting, opening one’s mind and inquiring and exchanging prasāda. Let’s meet more in giving AND accepting, opening our minds and inquiring while also feeding each other prasāda. What else is there to do? Kīrtan and kathā to seal it all together!

6b. What are some suggestions you have to achieve this? 

Race is an interesting concept for me, I don’t identify as any one particular race besides “human” as I am part Nigerian, part British European and part Native American but grew up in a European immigrant “white” family speaking French as my second language. I think it's important in any community to have open dialogue and in being heard when there are injustices or inequalities that are causing difficulties or obstacles. In Vedic times there was always an open court where one could go to be heard and some measure of action would be deliberated upon by a King and the Ministers. Maybe what would be helpful is a general committee that had some role in hearing and identifying issues of the members of the sangha.