Reflections on a Difficult Week: Processing, Self-Preservation, and Radical Self-Care

This blog is a powerful meditation on self-preservation, systemic oppression, and the urgent need for radical self-care, particularly for Black educators. The author reflects on the emotional toll of recent events—both personal and political—acknowledging the exhaustion, numbness, and disconnection felt by many in education. While educators are expected to hold space for students, they often lack spaces where their own well-being is prioritized. This disparity is especially pronounced for Black women, who are burdened with societal expectations of strength and resilience at the cost of their humanity.

The piece draws a poignant parallel between modern-day Black educators and Ruby Bridges, the six-year-old girl who integrated an all-white school in the 1960s. While Bridges’ strength is celebrated, her vulnerability was erased—a pattern that persists today. Black educators are conditioned to endure systemic pressures in silence, while others are afforded the freedom to express vulnerability. The blog challenges this dynamic, urging educators to reject the superhuman expectations imposed by white supremacy and instead embrace rest, care, and self-preservation.

This message is crucial because it disrupts the deeply ingrained notion that educators—especially Black women—must always sacrifice themselves for the greater good. It calls for a radical redefinition of worth, one that includes the right to rest, to feel, and to exist fully. By centering self-care as an act of resistance, the blog empowers educators to reclaim their humanity, ensuring that they are not just surviving, but thriving. Read the full piece here.