Dancing toward collective liberation: Making space for healing and organizational growth
My relationship to Juneteenth has been evolving over the years, both as a result of developing and deepening my liberatory consciousness and because of what happened right around Juneteenth last year. On Freedom Day 2020, I was in the midst of what I now refer to as The Deluge.
In June 2020, the Joyous Justice website saw a 1200% increase in traffic. In the roller coaster of a year since then, I went from a solo venture struggling to keep my head above the Deluge (with the help of Catherine Bell, Kat Macías, and Leah Jones and over 70 people who offered to support me when I asked for help—thank you again!) to an amazing team of 5 running multiple incredible and impactful programs—and a podcast—and serving thousands!
In the midst of this amazing growth, I have also been noticing the manifestations of internalized oppression that still show up at times within me, a descendant of enslaved Africans. One of the hooks of internalized oppression is the way in which patriarchal white supremacist capitalism (shoutout to bell hooks!) perpetuates a toxic belief that we must work at all times and ignore our bodies’ needs. As a Black woman, this impossible standard is doubled for me, insisting I work twice as hard just to get to even.
Joyous Justice is my dream. I pour every part of myself into it in order for it to thrive. I am truly thrilled with the immense progress and impact the Joyous Justice team is making. I’m also exhausted. Both/And wins again. ;)
This is why a recent tweet by the Nap Ministry about the importance of rest resonated with me so deeply. It granted me external permission to name a feeling my body has been quietly trying to tell me for some time now. Recently, as I faced a challenging health moment, I read a piece on Eileen Kramer, a 106 year dancer. I was inspired by her wisdom and align with her vision of enduring vitality. I plan on dancing for a long time, all the way toward our collective liberation—or at least as far as we can take it. To make sure that happens, I need to make some changes. I need to make space for healing and big dreams. I also need a lot of rest, rejuvenation, and more time to continue to co-create the beautiful, nourishing life/future I'm building with my partner, family, and friends.
So, what does this mean, practically? To navigate this reality and honor the needs of both our community and ourselves, I'm aiming to cut my working hours in half and my team and I are pausing on launching new offerings this summer. We are working to simultaneously have additional spaciousness for rest, and still more time for strategic focus to prepare for an exciting 5782. Don’t worry, our ongoing programs, including Jews Talk Racial Justice with April and Tracie and the Awareness Accelerator, aren’t going anywhere, and we’re working on something wonderful for the fall!
I am doing this not only for me, but for all of my ancestors and elders who were denied the opportunity to rest, recharge, and honor their own needs. Through rest and additional boundary-setting, I am working to remove some of the old hooks that remain as I continue to move toward my own--and our collective--freedom. As my dad, Ken Baskin, always used to say (modified, haha), "Short-term [adjustments / discipline] for long-term gain.”
Many of you have been on this journey with me and have seen Joyous Justice grow. Others of you have more recently become members of our Joyous Justice Collective. Regardless of how long you’ve been traveling this path with us, we are so appreciative to be in community with you, working for our collective liberation. With the adjustments I’m making and the partnership of our beloved community(ies), I know I will continue to be joyfully dancing for many Juneteenths to come...hopefully together with you!