As the Nap Bishop says: We will rest
Dear Good Ancestor,
This week I was grateful to be included in a Forbes article honoring "the Black women—who have been instrumental in exposing racial inequity and are some of the most influential drivers for societal change".
The article highlighted the work of many Black women I deeply respect, including Stacey Abrams, Cori Bush, Rachel Cargle, Dr. Kimberlé Crenshaw, Patrisse Cullors, Alicia Garza and Opal Tometi.
Good Ancestors.
During the interview for the article, I was asked if there were any Black women whose names I felt needed to be mentioned and celebrated. My answer was used for the final paragraph of the article:
“I think of all Black women,” she says. “I think of everyday, ordinary people who are doing their best to survive and thrive in this world and in this system that is anti-Black and anti-women. And the fact that we do it, that we survive and we not only thrive, but we take everyone along with us, is the miracle to me.”
It is truly a miracle to me.
As we approach the end of this tumultuous year, I am thinking about all the hard liberation work that has been done in pursuit of racial justice. I am thinking about the people who have relentlessly worked in public and behind the scenes to create change - in their own personal lives and in society. I am thinking about Black people, Indigenous people, and People of Colour this year who:
Have experienced the grief and pain of oppression
Have demanded that the world do better
Have prioritised their well-being
Have navigated mental health challenges
Have passed away or been killed
Have experienced loss
Have experienced joy
Have survived
Have thrived
I am particularly thinking about the Black people who have added in some way to the healing of the world by insisting that their Black life matters, and that they deserve to be treated with dignity and humanity. Many of us are carrying battle scars just from this very act. I wear mine proudly.
But each battle takes its toll, and we need rest.
Much work has been done this year. Much, much work needs to continue to be done. I know that we will continue to do it, because that's what it means to be a good ancestor. And I also know that those who have white privilege must push themselves further - to alleviate the burden from those of us who don't, and to create actual change instead of paying lip service through performative activism and acts of self-gratifying tokenism.
After our final Good Ancestor Podcast episode of the year this coming Thursday, my team and I will be taking a much needed break until 2021.
In a year where we have been physically distanced but virtually hyper-connected, it's important for us to give ourselves the rest we need.
Not the rest we deserve. Not the rest we have earned. But the rest we need. The rest that is our birthright. The rest that liberates. Especially for those of us who are most impacted by systems of oppression.
As the Nap Bishop Tricia Hersey says:
"What if your body had a message of liberation to offer you but that offering will only come when you are in a rested state?"
Or, as she puts it more simply:
"Lay yo ass down."
(I cannot reiterate enough that the Nap Ministry's work is about Black liberation, resistance and reparations - all year round - and not capitalistic, white supremacy lensed notions of self-care and wellness. I highly recommend exploring her deep and transformative work).
I will rest. My team will rest. I invite you to rest.
And I do so with the reminder that the work will be right there waiting for us to pick it back up in the new year. But maybe, because of rest, we will be different. And the way we approach the work will be different, too:
Spiritually-nourished. Values-driven. Truth-focused. Justice-led. Hope. Full.
Here's to rest, and the renewal it will bring.
Much love,