Radical Nourishment

This past school year, I taught second grade through the pandemic. My school opted for a hybrid setting where I taught 23 kids in the classroom and 5 kids on Zoom - at the same time. To say that I lived from nap to nap is an understatement. I was exhausted. The decisions being made at my school were reactive and full of urgency, paternalism, either/or thinking, and quantity over quality; characteristics which Tema Okun has researched as aspects of white supremacy culture.

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From my conversations with other educators - specifically educators of Color - exhaustion has been a common theme. This pandemic magnified the many ways systems of oppression are woven throughout society. Students and teachers of Color have carried the brunt of this through being silenced, feeling powerless, and burning out. I experienced these exact grievances myself.

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As I checked out of my second grade classroom, a heavy weight lifted off my shoulders. It was the first time in 8 years of teaching that I felt relief at the end of a school year. I knew then that I needed to spend my summer not just resting, but healing.

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When I think of what healing from this past year would look and feel like, the phrase “radical nourishment” comes to mind.

Radical: “Radical simply means ‘grasping things at the root.’” - Angela Davis

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Nourishment: sustenance; the act of nourishing : the state of being nourished

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We need an intentional return to the root of what is good for our souls and for our communities. We need to water and feed the areas of our lives that have become dry.

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This summer, I am choosing to delight in activities that feel like radical nourishment.

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These activities go beyond self-care because they are pointedly contradictory to white supremacy cultural norms like perfectionism or urgency, and more importantly, they are activities to enjoy within community.

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These experiences bring me joy, connection, a sense of wholeness, and are helping me heal.

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“Pleasure activism is the work we do to reclaim our whole, happy, and satisfiable selves from the impacts, delusions, and limitations of oppression and/or supremacy.

— adrienne maree brown

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Co-create art, music, writing, food, etc.

Gather your people and make something as a team. Whether you paint a picture together on the same canvas, bring your instruments and jam, or collect a bunch of ingredients and invent a dish without following a written recipe, the point here is to lay aside the burden of perfectionism and individualism. Your goal is to create for the sheer fun of it. And to create together.

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This activity is an antidote to the white supremacy culture characteristics of perfectionism, one right way, & individualism.

Digital Detox in Nature

Turn off your notifications and head into the natural world with your loved ones for a few hours or for a few days. Urgency pulls us away from being immersed in the moment. Allow yourself this space to slow down and be fully present. As you release yourself from the limitations of urgency, notice the ways that nature embraces the duality of life. If you are not able to be surrounded by nature, finding a park or greenspace, or even watching a nature documentary with your friends can provide a much needed respite.

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This activity is an antidote to the white supremacy culture characteristics of urgency and either/or thinking.

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Bring Peace to Your Physical Space

If you're anything like me, your physical space is a reflection of your mental space. Invite an organized friend over and get to work. In her new book, Christine Platt aka The Afrominimalist, shares four key steps to letting go of what no longer serves you: “1) acknowledging you have too much, 2) learning how to forgive yourself, 3) approaching letting go holistically, 4) paying it forward with any items that can be used to assist others in need.”

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While tidying your house may sound arbitrary, this activity helps you focus on the importance of process and quality in the physical/personal sense so that you can let go of bigger/more is better thinking. Also, you deserve to heal in a soothing space, or as Christine writes, “...embrace a radical reimagining of home as a sanctuary.”

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This activity is an antidote to the white supremacy culture characteristics of quantity over quality & progress is bigger/more.

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Spend Time Sharing Stories

“Practice listening; because our culture doesn’t value oral traditions or storytelling wisdom, we are out of listening practice or remembering how to hold a spoken word with weight (without having to write it down).

— Christina Rivera Chapman & Tema Okun

Gather with family or friends and just talk. Tell jokes, swap stories, ask hard questions, trade dreams, be present. Cry. Be comforted. Laugh loud and unabashedly late into the night. Soak in all the meaning and wisdom that is shared through conversations, felt through connection, and never needs writing down.

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This activity is an antidote to the white supremacy culture characteristics of worshipping the written word.

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Embodiment Practices

Move your body. Gather with colleagues and work through the Embracing Equity Wholeness Practice Script and Reflection.

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Practice breathwork and grounding exercises. Go for a walk with your kids. Learn choreography with your partner. If you can sweat it out, even better!

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Physical activity helps complete the stress cycle and release the chemicals and toxins in your body. Practice standing in “power poses” to remind your physical body that it is strong and safe. If it feels safe, look for opportunities to move your body in a group environment - whether you go to a pumped-up cycling class, hit up the rock climbing gym, or just go out dancing with friends.

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This activity is an antidote to the white supremacy culture characteristics of fear and defensiveness.

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Garden or Care for a Houseplant

Join a community garden, help an elderly neighbor with their yard work, or gather with friends for a houseplant repotting party. Get your hands in the dirt and notice the small details of how life comes together. Understand that there is so much out of your direct control and find peace with that reality. Develop gratitude and appreciation for the soil, water, earthworms, and sunlight. Practice extending this same gratitude to those around you.

This activity is an antidote to the white supremacy culture characteristics of paternalism and power hoarding.

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Spend Time Around Children

Volunteer for your local community youth organization. Hang out with your nieces, nephews, younger siblings, or your friends and their kids. Have a conversation with them about life and their opinions, and appreciate the ways in which they are willing to be direct and transparent. Reflect on your inner-child and listen to the fears, hopes, and messages of encouragement your inner-child is trying to tell you. Share those reflections with a friend and ask them how their inner-child is doing.

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This activity is an antidote to the white supremacy culture characteristics of fear of conflict and right to comfort.

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Group Meditation

Connect with friends or family to join together for group meditation and reflection. Make it special by creating a soft landing space for everyone to gather with pillows and blankets on the floor, soothing music, and dimmed lights; or gather in nature to soak up the healing energy that comes from the earth. Co-create a group intention and allow time for others to set individual intentions and then after meditating together, enjoy food and conversation about each other’s reflections. Some helpful resources for meditations include:

• Liberate - an app which centers meditations for the Black community and features guided meditations by BIPOC meditation teachers.
• Shine - a meditation app founded by an Asian woman and a Black woman who wanted to see themselves and their experiences, represented in mainstream “wellness.”
• Stay Woke: A Meditation Guide for the Rest of Us by Justin Michael Williams; an intersectional book about mindfulness and meditation for people who grew up in the struggle.

This activity is an antidote to the white supremacy culture characteristic of objectivity.

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Take time this summer to rest, reflect, and heal.

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““Caring for myself is not self-indulgence, it is self-preservation, and that is an act of political warfare.”

— Audre Lorde

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Understand the importance of keeping your mental health a priority and remember that you are not alone in your experiences or in your healing journey. Use these ideas as a jumping off point for ways to bring radical nourishment to your spirit as you continue the work towards collective liberation.

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July is BIPOC Mental Health Month and this year’s theme is “Strength in Communities.”

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Traditional systems of care in the US may overlook experiences of Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC) and Queer/Trans Black, Indigenous, People of Color (QTBIPOC), making it difficult to seek mental health care. But BIPOC and QTBIPOC are resilient and have worked to uplift their communities despite systemic barriers.

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Community care, self-directed care, and culturally-based practices are all valid and valuable choices people can make for their mental health - but many may not be aware of these options. For #BIPOCMentalHealthMonth, Mental Health America created a toolkit highlighting #StrengthInCommunities to showcase mental health supports created by BIPOC, for BIPOC. Learn more at mhanational.org/july.

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And most importantly, make some time this summer for some radical nourishment!

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About the Author

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Czarina (she/her) Jimenez is an elementary music educator on unceded Tongva, Serrano, Cahuilla land in Southern California.

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She is passionate about creating culturally responsive music lessons and incorporating anti-bias/anti-racist social emotional learning into her curriculum. Czarina is Embracing Equity's social media manager and you can also connect with her on Instagram @littleupbeatclass.