the radical history of self-care

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

- Audre Lorde | Audre Lorde was a self-described “black, lesbian, mother, warrior, poet,” she dedicated both her life and her creative talent to confronting and addressing injustices of racism, sexism, classism, and homophobia. -Poetry Foundation

The origins of self-care are deeply embedded in the Black Power movement of the 1960s and ’70s, in underserved communities across the country. though self-care was first prescribed as a medical intervention in the 1950s to prevent or manage ailments, it was revolutionized in the 60s and 70s by the Black Panther Party.

Black women radicals such as Angela Davis and Ericka Huggins used yoga, mindfulness and meditation to cope with incarceration. Rosa Parks practiced yoga for many years. Self-care wasn’t viewed as a luxury, but as a means of self-empowerment to continue to fight against social injustices.

During the Civil Rights Movement, self-care evolved into a political act when the Black Panther Party hosted their Black Community Survival Conference in Oakland, Ca. It was a street fair, rally and block party where information about their programs were distributed to the public.

The Black Panther Party’s programs consisted of access to healthy foods and clinics established across the U.S. for medical professionals to treat Black individuals for illnesses and diseases that were common in the Black community such as sickle-cell anemia and lead poisoning.

The purpose behind their free programs was to use them as a coping mechanism against both police and government harassment and surveillance Black people endured, and to help fill gaps in the lack of medical resources in their communities.

Self-care was not the 10 billion dollar luxury industry it is today, but rather a means to counter activist burnout. Audre Lorde’s teachings highlight how self-preservation is foundational for community building: Self preservation in order to be able to collectively fight against systems of oppression. self care is rooted in radical ideals of anticapitalism and anti-colonialism. to embody self-care in this capacity is how we resist its commodification and how we honor and carry forward the legacy of activists and black radicalism before us.

SOURCES

We are grateful to the works of Lenora E. Houseworth (2021) The Radical History of Self-Care, Teen Vogue; Natasha Takyi-Micah (2023) Origins of self-care and why activists and advocates need to practice it, The Center for Community Solutions; Chazz Scott (2022) How the Black Panthers used self-care as a form of empowerment, The Baltimore Times; direct excerpts of which informed the content for this blog post.