Hersey Addresses “Rest” in MLK Commemoration

On February 9, 2026, Cornell presented its annual Martin Luther King Commemoration lecture in Sage Chapel entitled “Rest is Resistance: A Conversation with Tricia Hersey.” Hersey also conducted three “rest” workshops for Cornell students and staff in the days following her lecture. Hersey gave her “sermonette” the title “Let rest be a resurrection.” Today is Juneteenth, and we post this newly relevant article in the spirit of such.

Hersey is a performance artist, writer, theologian, and community organizer. Founder of The Nap Ministry, Hersey spoke on “the liberatory, restorative, and disruptive power of rest as a fundamental human right and essential to advancing racial and social justice.’ She is 51 years old.

The MLK Commemoration “aspires to be a cross-campus and community partnership that makes accessible the life and legacy of Dr. King for contemporary times. The King commemoration brings together Cornellians, Ithaca College, and the Ithaca community. This annual cross-campus/community partnership to commemorate Dr. King strives to be a local example of collaboration across real and perceived stratification to promote moral values and social justice and to advance beloved community in Ithaca and beyond.”

RELATED: Angela Davis Turns Martin Luther King Commemoration into a Pro-Palestine Rally

Prior to her talk, a group sang “Lift Every Voice and Sing,” which was not among the more frequently sung hymns during Rev. King’s time with the civil rights movement. Neither Cornell nor the organizing committee explained the selection of that particular song for the program. The program did not include the National Anthem or the Alma Mater.

The program was introduced by Sharifa A. Wip, Associate Dean of Students and Director of Black Student Empowerment, and co-chair of the 2026 MLK Commemorative Lecture Committee. Wip observed that “In the spirit of Black History Month and the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., we will work toward the shared understanding that rest is not indulgent or a privilege, it is liberation. Rest is resistance.” She added, ”Rest itself is radical.” Wip also recited the land acknowledgment. 

Hersey was, in turn, introduced by Sonia Rucker, Associate Vice-President for the Department of Inclusion and Belonging. She summarized Hersey’s message as “Rest is not a luxury, it is a human right.” 

Early in her talk, Hersey claimed that “So many times we rush through the moments. Our lifetime training in urgency, given to us by white supremacy work culture, makes us skip steps to move ahead to what is next.”

“I am so excited to see students. I love to get my hands on you to radicalize you,” Hersey said. “You don’t have to grind. Your gifts and your talents will make space for you.” Hersey has been leading her “nap ministry” for ten years now.

Hersey advocates for introspection and gratitude, including appreciating her ancestors who worked and sacrificed to ground her present circumstances. Gratefulness transforms the brain by releasing neurotransmitters like dopamine, leading to better emotional regulation. She advocates for a “gratitude practice that is full of deep resistance, that says to a culture that is trying to annihilate us, ‘no.’”

Hersey sees practicing gratitude as a group activity. “Everything should be done in the collective. We won’t heal alone. We won’t make it alone.” Hersey then read a list of items for which she is grateful, including ICE protests and “for every protestor in Minnesota.” She is grateful for “the prophecy and believing that Palestine will be free.”

Hersey claims that society, particularly for black women, pushes people into a state of exhaustion. “This attempting to prove our worth to a system that does not see us as human, that doesn’t see us as divine; attempting to pay bills and eat in a system that has created poverty and deep inequality. The self-hate force-fed to us from a culture that teaches us white supremacy, and our refusal to snatch self-care and interconnectedness as we bow down to the cult of individualism and isolationism.”

Hersey’s lecture was a rapid-fire list of her perceived societal wrongs, without offering evidence or support for her views. Hersey describes this as a “dark place” requiring a spiritual resurrection or transformation “via rest.”

Hersey quoted Dr. King as saying, “All political work is spiritual work. All community-building work is spiritual work.”

Hersey claims that “grind culture is violence.” Hence, her advocacy for “rest” is consistent with Dr. King’s non-violent legacy. Hersey notes that “academia [is] being headquarters for grind culture.”

Instead of striving to do more, people should accept that “you are enough by simply being alive.”

Joel Harter then recognized the commemoration sponsors. He also acknowledged that the Black Students United held a teach-in the prior week at Ujamaa on this topic. Finally, he acknowledged that Cornell sororities and fraternities volunteered to serve as ushers at the event. 

Audience Questions and Answers

Dr. Nia Nunn, an Ithaca College Professor and President of the Southside Community Center, posed questions submitted on cards or online to Hersey for about 20 minutes. Nunn asked how rest enhances a person’s discernment.

Hersey believes there is much information that can be accessed during sleep that is blocked while we are awake. “Sleeping and resting is a portal” to the wisdom of ancestors. Once we rest enough, we will be able to figure things out, “and it will be game over.”

The audience asked if we should boycott brands that overwork and underpay. Hersey agreed. She added that she believes in reparations. “I am a debt collector for my ancestors,” said Hersey.

The next question was “how can we resist when modern Christianity is part of that oppression?” When Hersey attended Emory Theological School, she claimed to have encountered racism among the students. Don’t go to churches that fail to uphold what you believe. “Build your own churches.”

The last question was “How does rest function, not as withdrawal but as a radical source of hope and moral clarity?” Hersey claims that rest takes us off of “robot mode.” Community is dying. “This work has really fueled our rage.”

Analysis

Neither Nunn nor the questioners challenged Hersey’s claims regarding the link between white supremacy and the lack of rest. Nor did they examine whether Hersey’s criticisms about “grind culture” apply equally to Cornell and Ithaca College. Although Hersey received understanding and accommodations from the Emory Theological Faculty when she felt that she was assigned too much work, that approach may not be as well received when Cornell Physics students or Engineering students are expected to complete all of their assignments on time. At a time when President Kotlikoff preaches “merit and hard work”, Hersey offers no attempt to reconcile those expectations with Hersey’s ‘nap ministry.”

Although Harter, Nunn, Rucker, and Wip politely echo Hersey’s main points about the importance of “rest,” there is a generations-old “grind culture” at Cornell. For example, for over 100 years, Cornell architecture students have been known to pull all-nighters to complete their assigned projects. It would take official messaging from the dean of the Architecture School (and other colleges) to end “grind culture” for students of all identities, rather than targeting that message uniquely to just Black students.

Finally, the trend in the MLK Commemoration is troubling. For three years in a row, the invited speakers have been radical black women who are drifting far from the teachings of Dr. King. As one of Cornell’s high-profile lecture series, more work is needed to bring it back into alignment with its long-term mission and to provide a format that allows more challenging questions from the audience. A person can certainly advocate for better time management skills, introspection, and spiritual awareness, but links to white supremacy, capitalism, or reparations require more of a logical argument than was presented by Hersey.