One of Audre Lorde’s most-quoted stances has to do with how we take care of ourselves. “Caring for myself is not self-indulgence,” she wrote in A Burst of Light: and Other Essays. “It is self-preservation, and that is an act of political warfare.” Today, on what would’ve been her 87th birthday, we honor her and her diligence for prioritizing her wellbeing over all else. Lorde also shares a birth anniversary with another literary legend, the late Toni Morrison, who also infused her work with learnings about love.
Read our piece on how grind culture is never more important than self-care.
On February 18, as part of Black Girl Freedom Week, actress and activist Kelly McCreary will lead a session on how crucial it is to have stories that focus on the lives of young Black girls. Then, Yale professor and yogi Dr. Aimee Cox will conduct a healing movement and meditation class that pays tribute to the legacies of Lorde and Morrison.
This is the first year of Black Girl Freedom, a week-long virtual activation that is to uplift Black girls through various activities. The festivities fit within a larger initiative, the Black Girls Freedom Fund, which aims to raise $1 billion for Black girls over the next decade. Co-founders of the Black Girl Freedom Fund include Tarana Burke, founder of the #MeToo movement, LaTosha Brown, co-founder of Black Voters Matter, and a number of other Black women who seek to help Black girls grow and explore themselves.
They have raised over $15 million since launching in 2020.
McCreary’s session on the power of stories for Black girls starts on Feb. 18 at 4:30 pm ET and last for 30 minutes. Dr. Cox’s movement and meditation class will begin at 5 pm ET and end at 6 pm. You can watch both via Black Girl Freedom Fund’s Instagram live. Click here for a full run down of this week’s events.
Love reading? Check out our list of 10 revolutionary texts that every Black girl needs to read.
Photo credit: Getty Images/Jack Mitchell/Leonardo Cendamo/Brooklyn White