What would it mean to be well-rested? To push back against “grind culture” and the crushing productivity of capitalism? Often associated with a particular time of the day, a certain room in the house and a specific article of furniture, rest needs to be reframed.
Rest your eyes on the couch, on the porch, in the passenger seat during an afternoon drive. Hit the snooze button and reclaim your time. Give yourself permission to take a break.
It is not a luxury to sleep in and rest is not a waste of time. Instead, it is a basic human right historically denied and devalued for African American women especially, due to legacies of chattel enslavement, societal expectations of endurance, and the burden of navigating racism and sexism.
All of this is exhausting. But that’s the point, isn’t it?
“Racism is exhausting and embarrassing, even in front of your best friend, who’s also Black. It’s as if there’s a stealth undercurrent of unwarranted assumptions, petty slights, and dismissals always ready to pop up and reinforce the idea that people of color aren’t good enough, they aren’t welcome,” Wanda M. Morris confessed in All Her Little Secrets.
“Black women are stereotyped as ‘workers’ and have internalized this characterization by overachieving, self-sacrificing, and neglecting our health and dismissing the need for self-care. Black women must unapologetically prioritize rest as a part of the movement toward equity and liberation,” Mary-Frances Winters explained in Black Fatigue: How Racism Erodes the Mind, Body, and Spirit. Prioritizing rest, particularly for marginalized communities, is a necessary act of healing and reclamation of personal and communal well-being.
Rest then is an act of self-preservation and a powerful form of resistance against systemic oppression. Prioritizing rest is vital for the mental, physical, and emotional health of African Americans. It’s also crucial for healing from the historical and ongoing trauma experienced by African American communities and for building the resilience needed to continue the fight for justice.
In a society that often demands overwork and productivity from African American women, choosing to rest becomes a radical act that challenges the commodification of bodies racialized as black and rejects the notion that their worth is solely tied to their labor. “You were not just born to center your entire existence on work and labor. You were born to heal, to grow, to be of service to yourself and community, to practice, to experiment, to create, to have space, to dream, and to connect,” Tricia Hersey, creator of the Rest is Resistance framework and the Nap Bishop, declared in Rest Is Resistance: A Manifesto.
She reframed rest for me, writing in We Will Rest! The Art of Escape:
“Framing rest as:
Something beautiful.
Something worthy.
Something human.
Something holy.
Something honorable.
Something healing.
Something radical.
Something transformative.
Something attainable.
Something close.
Something powerful.”
Embracing rest is a deliberate act of reclaiming my energy and peace, ultimately leading to a more whole and empowered existence in the face of ongoing challenges and societal pressures. “Black people desperately need this kind of oppression-shattering rest,” Jillian Wilson wrote in an article titled “‘Permission To Not Be in Survival Mode’: How Rest Liberates Black People.” “Rest is available to everyone and all Black people deserve it,” she continued.
Prioritizing rest is a sign of strength and self-awareness, not laziness. Rest is a necessity.
While battling cancer, Audre Lorde famously stated, “Caring for myself is not self-indulgence, it is self-preservation, and that is an act of political warfare.” Lorde connected self-care to broader political struggles, emphasizing that individual well-being is crucial for collective action and liberation.
Lorde highlighted the importance of self-preservation as a form of resistance against oppressive systems. She believed that individuals who are depleted and exhausted cannot effectively fight for social justice. Lorde encouraged a more holistic approach to well-being that prioritizes rest, nourishment, and community support.
Rest is so much more than a white supremacist society would have us believe. Because “every shut eye ain’t sleep.” Stay woke.
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Director of The Raceless Gospel Initiative, an associate editor, host of the Good Faith Media podcast, “The Raceless Gospel” and author of Take Me to the Water: The Raceless Gospel as Baptismal Pedagogy for a Desegregated Church.
