Rest Is Resistance: A Manifesto

Content Warning: This section of the guide contains references to racism, white supremacy, labor exploitation, health disparities, and racial violence.

Tricia Hersey delves deeply into the theme of The Healing Power of Rest, portraying it as a revolutionary act that intersects with spirituality, self-care, and resistance against systemic oppression. Hersey’s exploration of rest is personal yet universally applicable, emphasizing its role as a healing and transformative force, particularly within communities burdened by the legacies of enslavement, capitalism, and racial injustice.

Hersey’s narrative highlights the intrinsic link between rest and healing, as she argues that rest is not merely the cessation of physical activity but a spiritual practice that nurtures the soul and repairs the wear and tear inflicted by systemic inequalities. She invokes the historical context of enslavement and the exploitation of Black labor to illustrate how rest has been systematically denied to Black people, making the act of resting a form of reclamation and resistance.

In Rest Is Resistance: A Manifesto, rest is depicted as a sanctuary, a sacred space where individuals can disconnect from the demands of a productivity-driven society. Hersey shares her own experiences and observations, noting how rest has been instrumental in her journey of healing from the traumas of racism and overwork.