Rest Is Resistance: A Manifesto

Hersey discusses the power of imagination as a tool for liberation, drawing inspiration from Afrofuturism and figures like bell hooks and Octavia Butler. Hersey encourages the embrace of imagination, rest, and radical love while being skeptical of societal norms and expectations. The narrative emphasizes the importance of taking breaks, disconnecting from labor, and finding ways to tap into creativity and intuition.

One crucial aspect Hersey highlights is the stolen DreamSpace of enslaved ancestors, discussing how racial terror and violent labor replaced the natural state of rest and imagination. By imagining their resilience and plotting freedom strategies even in exhausted states, Hersey underscores the potential of rest and creativity in navigating oppressive conditions. Through introspective questions and personal experiences, Hersey challenges the conventional narrative around rest, and urges individuals to reimagine what rest means and how it can be integrated into their lives despite systemic challenges.

Hersey focuses her narrative around the notion that the devaluation of rest has deep historical and racial roots that particularly affect Black women, who have been stereotyped as endlessly resilient and self-sacrificing. She argues that this dehumanizing view perpetuates a cycle of exploitation and denies Black women the space and right to rest.