Tricia Hersey

And they built new worlds within a world that didn't want them free, that didn't see them as human beings. And so that's the resistance I pulled to. And no one can tell me that something is impossible. Like, I don't believe it. I know a lot of people are in a place of feeling like there is impossibility. But manifestos in this work provoke impossibility.

That's the whole purpose of them is for us to imagine something that's impossible. And so I think about my grandmother, Ora, who's taking a nap, who's resting her eyes 30 minutes to an hour every single day in between going to her two jobs. She had on her uniform from working at the hospital as a nursing assistant, still got her whites on. She'd be sitting on the couch with her eyes closed.

That's the whole purpose of them is for us to imagine something that's impossible. And so I think about my grandmother, Ora, who's taking a nap, who's resting her eyes 30 minutes to an hour every single day in between going to her two jobs. She had on her uniform from working at the hospital as a nursing assistant, still got her whites on. She'd be sitting on the couch with her eyes closed.

That's the whole purpose of them is for us to imagine something that's impossible. And so I think about my grandmother, Ora, who's taking a nap, who's resting her eyes 30 minutes to an hour every single day in between going to her two jobs. She had on her uniform from working at the hospital as a nursing assistant, still got her whites on. She'd be sitting on the couch with her eyes closed.

Eight children, dozens of grandchildren. I'm one of her wild grandchildren running in and out of her house, screaming, jumping on couch. She didn't move. That woman sat on that couch and held court for her own healing. And we began to watch that and we began to respect that. Grandma's resting. She's sleeping. We'd be like, Grandma's sleeping. Chill out. You know, be quiet.

Eight children, dozens of grandchildren. I'm one of her wild grandchildren running in and out of her house, screaming, jumping on couch. She didn't move. That woman sat on that couch and held court for her own healing. And we began to watch that and we began to respect that. Grandma's resting. She's sleeping. We'd be like, Grandma's sleeping. Chill out. You know, be quiet.

Eight children, dozens of grandchildren. I'm one of her wild grandchildren running in and out of her house, screaming, jumping on couch. She didn't move. That woman sat on that couch and held court for her own healing. And we began to watch that and we began to respect that. Grandma's resting. She's sleeping. We'd be like, Grandma's sleeping. Chill out. You know, be quiet.

She'd say, I'm not sleeping. I'm resting my eyes, you know, every shut eye ain't sleep. I'm listening. She would say, I'm listening to God. I'm listening to the universe. I'm simply listening. And I wonder what was that listening giving her, you know, to be a black woman in Chicago, you know, poverty all around her, raising all these children and,

She'd say, I'm not sleeping. I'm resting my eyes, you know, every shut eye ain't sleep. I'm listening. She would say, I'm listening to God. I'm listening to the universe. I'm simply listening. And I wonder what was that listening giving her, you know, to be a black woman in Chicago, you know, poverty all around her, raising all these children and,

She'd say, I'm not sleeping. I'm resting my eyes, you know, every shut eye ain't sleep. I'm listening. She would say, I'm listening to God. I'm listening to the universe. I'm simply listening. And I wonder what was that listening giving her, you know, to be a black woman in Chicago, you know, poverty all around her, raising all these children and,

trying to have a way and have a new life outside of the South and the terror of that. What was she listening to? What was she hearing? What was the silence? What was that evoking for her? What was this resting moment giving her? And so she becomes the muse because I watched her... I watched her make space for her own rest every single day. I watched her slow down. I watched her uplift leisure.

trying to have a way and have a new life outside of the South and the terror of that. What was she listening to? What was she hearing? What was the silence? What was that evoking for her? What was this resting moment giving her? And so she becomes the muse because I watched her... I watched her make space for her own rest every single day. I watched her slow down. I watched her uplift leisure.

trying to have a way and have a new life outside of the South and the terror of that. What was she listening to? What was she hearing? What was the silence? What was that evoking for her? What was this resting moment giving her? And so she becomes the muse because I watched her... I watched her make space for her own rest every single day. I watched her slow down. I watched her uplift leisure.

And so we're going to have to reimagine rest. The reimagination, you're going to have to look at rest as not just being what you think it is.

And so we're going to have to reimagine rest. The reimagination, you're going to have to look at rest as not just being what you think it is.

And so we're going to have to reimagine rest. The reimagination, you're going to have to look at rest as not just being what you think it is.

a full nap away from the kids with the pillow up closed eyes eye mask on closed door nobody that's beautiful like give me more of that but in this culture that's not going to be possible for all people it's going to have to be reimagined ways of my grandmother resting on the couch with her eyes closed for 30 minutes centering her own body and her own self while all of the world was still happening around her she didn't care she was going to sit on that couch and

a full nap away from the kids with the pillow up closed eyes eye mask on closed door nobody that's beautiful like give me more of that but in this culture that's not going to be possible for all people it's going to have to be reimagined ways of my grandmother resting on the couch with her eyes closed for 30 minutes centering her own body and her own self while all of the world was still happening around her she didn't care she was going to sit on that couch and

a full nap away from the kids with the pillow up closed eyes eye mask on closed door nobody that's beautiful like give me more of that but in this culture that's not going to be possible for all people it's going to have to be reimagined ways of my grandmother resting on the couch with her eyes closed for 30 minutes centering her own body and her own self while all of the world was still happening around her she didn't care she was going to sit on that couch and

And do that. And so I love that about her. I love about my dad waking up early before his job to sit and pray and read the paper. And I was like, why do you get up so early? He's like, because I want to have a moment where I can be human and not be on someone's clock and I can just be. So this idea of just being.