“Rest as resistance:” Black cyberfeminism, collective healing and liberation on @TheNapMinistry

Abstract

Abstract Tricia Hersey, founder of The Nap Ministry, uses rest as a “healing mechanism” and a form of resistance. With a vibrant social media following, the Nap Ministry builds upon a strong history of Black feminist activism that centers the lived experiences of Black women. According to Hersey, rest is personal and political, a fight against the commodification and exploitation of laboring Black folks from chattel slavery to contemporary grind and hustle culture. This article explores how Hersey builds upon a lineage of Black women’s activism in digital spaces while also exploring rest, “soul care,” and communal healing as ideologies rooted in Black (cyber)feminism. I argue that Nap Ministry constellates Womanism, Black (cyber)feminism, and Black liberation theory by promoting the power of rest, encouraging resistance against what bell hooks describes as the “imperialist white supremacist capitalist patriarchy” that exploits Black women’s labor and renders their voices invisible.