As we step into the new year, we carry the weight of the past while looking toward the challenges and possibilities of the future. This moment is an opportunity to pause, breathe, and honor our capacity for resilience and transformation. Before the work ahead begins in earnest, let us commit to rest, recovery, and healing—for ourselves, our communities, and the movements we hold dear.
Rest as Resistance
Rest is not idleness. In a world that demands constant productivity, choosing to rest is an act of defiance. It is a way to reclaim our energy and ensure we can sustain ourselves through the battles to come. Healing is foundational to the resistance work that will define the coming years. Without it, the movements we build risk becoming unsustainable, leaving us vulnerable to burnout and despair.
We are reminded of the consistent challenge per our internal BWM Book Club choice, Healing Justice Lineages: Dreaming at the Crossroads of Liberation, Collective Care, and Safety by Cara Page and Erica Woodland: “The long-term generational impacts of COINTELPRO (Counterintelligence Program) have been enormous for our movements and our communities. An entire generation of freedom fighters have been jailed, murdered, or driven to exile, interrupting generational transfer of resistance strategies. This was a direct attempt by the state to disrupt the transmission of knowledge and memory due to the threat it poses to its control and domination.” The deliberate sabotage of movements was designed to weaken our collective power, yet here we stand—continuing to fight, learn, and rebuild.
This history teaches us to give ourselves grace. As we rediscover and innovate resistance strategies, we must also embrace rest and healing as vital components of our work. Reclaiming these tools is not just an act of survival but a declaration of our enduring resilience.
The Work Ahead
The coming years will demand much of us. They will require our creativity, courage, and commitment to justice. But as we fight for change, let us not forget that care—for ourselves and each other—is a revolutionary act. Healing is not separate from our resistance; it is a part of it.
As we move forward, let’s root ourselves in rest, resilience, and renewal. Together, we can build movements that not only resist oppression but also nurture the thriving futures we dream of.
Here’s to a year of healing, justice, and collective liberation.