black girl sabbaticals

i’ve been in a season of self-care. after making a conscious decision to stop normalizing anxiety and stress, i’m seeking a simpler life — one that’s judged by the quality of my experiences, not the quantity of my possessions. thankfully, i’m not doing the work of re-evaluting my position in the american rat race alone — sisters of the yam by bell hooks has been my bible and sister’s circle dc has become my congregation.

black women deserve a community to support our well-being. while raising children, working for employers that don’t recognize the demands of motherhood, being vulnerable to harassment and domestic violence and battling for the human right to see ourselves as beautiful, our lives can be inundated with turmoil. add to this toxicity, the stress of academic institutions and our professions and healing is vital.

about five years ago my life was filled with similar demands. as an organizer and law student, a never ending stream of meetings, part-time jobs, classes, exams and community outreach became my life.  i stopped doing the work to determine what makes me happy and eventually crashed in the mist of an abusive relationship. through pain comes healing, and pulling the pieces of my life back together gave me an opportunity to define myself for myself. while my struggles to overcome past traumas are far from over, i’ve come a long way. thank God for favor and a bomb therapist.

my greatest investment in my well-being has been a sabbatical.  less than two weeks in, i’ve visited my family in florida, travelled to costa rica, finished writing an article on the child welfare system and have many other plans. to say these past ten days have been invaluable is an understatement. i’m learning lessons that only disconnecting from a daily grind can reveal.

black girls need sabbaticals like we need air to breathe. resting on our shoulders is often a world of responsibility that only self-care can allow us to evaluate and maneuver in a healthy manner. the most radical thing we can do is care for ourselves.

let’s build a #blackgirlsabbatical movement. our well-being is ours to take.

follow my 30 day sabbatical chronicles on instagram and stay tuned for a special guest blog post!