Why Black and Brown Women Can’t Rest in the Workplace?

I am currently reading Rest is Resistance: A Manifesto by Tricia Hersey who is the founder of the Nap Ministry. This book is a call to Black women to disrupt and push back against the pressure and demands of white supremacy and capitalism in a quest to claim rest, daydreaming and naps for our own liberation. This book made me come to terms with all of the preconceived notions I had about rest, what I had been told about rest, and how others perceived my rest.

It also made me realize that rest isn’t one mental health day a month while you’re feeling burnout every other day of the month; rest as resistance is an embodiment and lived experience, it’s an ongoing commitment to prioritize self above others. For Black women in particular, rest has always been a controversial issue; we’ve been raised by women who we adore who have typically been self-sacrificing and focused on community care, above self-care. Coming to terms with rest means potentially letting go of aspects of your identity, and what you have come to know as true; it means setting boundaries with and for the exact people we have been entrusted to care for. This is a hard job.

Coupled with my interest in this book, I’m hearing about the importance of embracing the “soft life” for Black and Brown women. As with many viral trends, the soft life began with Black women…