Abstract

Work and racial discrimination are common causes of stress for Americans (American Psychological Association, 2019). Stress is even more prominent among adults since the COVID pandemic, civil unrest, and social justice uprising that occurred in the summer of 2020. Businesses have responded to stress by incorporating mindfulness practices. As the concept of mindfulness gains popularity in the workplace, there is a need to understand how mindfulness implemented in workplace settings can be modified to integrate culture and diversity-related themes to cultivate inclusion for BIPOC employees. Few studies have examined culturally attuned mindfulness programs in the workplace. There is also limited understanding of the experiences of BIPOC mindfulness professionals. This qualitative phenomenological study aimed to disrupt the systemic whiteness in mindfulness by exploring BIPOC mindfulness professionals’ lived experiences and perceptions of implementing mindfulness in workplace settings to identify recommendations for best practices. Semi-structured interviews were utilized with 12 BIPOC mindfulness professionals to understand their experience of implementing mindfulness in workplace settings, their perspectives of BIPOC employee inclusion within mindfulness curriculums in workplaces, and their recommendations to ensure diversity and culture are incorporated. A snowball sampling method was utilized to recruit participants. Three research questions guided this study and Color-Blind Racist Ideology (CBRI) was expounded upon as the theoretical foundation. The data was triangulated and analyzed using coding-procedures to generate common themes.

Library of Congress Subject Headings

Mindfulness (Psychology); Work environment; Job stress; Minorities

Date of Award

2023

School Affiliation

Graduate School of Education and Psychology

Department/Program

Education

Degree Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctorate

Faculty Advisor

Ebony Cain

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