MLK Day event aids well-being

On Jan. 17, during a wellness webinar titled “Rest as Revolution,” psychiatrist Dr. Reba Peoples displayed a collection of photographs of Martin Luther King Jr. and his wife, Coretta Scott King, engaging in leisurely activities such as lying in beach chairs or swimming in a pool. Many participants noticed the stark contrast between these images and those typically used to commemorate King on this national holiday.

Instead of visual displays exclusively representing his iconic speeches and marches, Peoples highlighted the personhood of King’s life, one in which rest was essential.

This moment was one which stood out to many participants of the webinar, held during the Multicultural Center’s MLK Week. One hundred and thirty-eight students, staff and community members attended this event, organized by members of the Multicultural Center staff on the MLK Week committee.

The theme of the week is “The Fierce Urgency of Now,” words from King’s 1967 speech “Beyond Vietnam.”

“We are now faced with the fact that tomorrow is today. We are confronted with the fierce urgency of now. In this unfolding conundrum of life and history there is such a thing as being too late,” King said in the address, 55 years ago.

According to Malik Stewart, director of the Multicultural Center, these words are a reminder that for some, including King, it is already too late.

“He was murdered. He will never get to realize that dream. So it’s already too late for him, but it’s not too late for us,” Stewart said.

Stewart acknowledged that this theme may seem contradictory with the message of “Rest as Revolution.”

“There is an inherent tension…really what that [says is] you have got to take care of yourself so you can continue the fight for social justice. Today’s event was focused on making sure students, in particular, are taking care of themselves,” he said.

When planning the event, the committee knew they wanted rest to be centered in the activities, especially because Martin Luther King day has not always been a day off for rest and celebration at CSB/SJU.

“[We saw] the need to in some way guide students in how to rest and recognize that we’ve been subconsciously conditioned in this society to really… value our productivity, which can be a disintegrating experience because we’re not necessarily recognizing who we are as people and detaching ourselves from our work, creating a disembodying experience,” said Joe Penny, SJU senior and Multicultural Center staff member.

Penny explained how often when people ask if they are doing enough to contribute to movements of liberation, they are typically referring to direct measurable steps. He emphasized the importance of celebrating the work that is being done, not as a way of avoiding reflection or improvement, but a means of keeping ourselves healthy through the process.

“Am I doing enough to feed myself? Because that work is a part of the liberation process, that work is part of the fight for justice. I think too often we externalize those movements for justice and that leads to a great spiritual and internal deficit,” Penny said.

He notes we have internalized the idea that rest is counterproductive in a society which values instant gratification.

According to the committee members, the long-term goal of social change is to ensure the holistic wellness of all people. Therefore, it is crucial to protect everyone’s health within the process.

In the webinar, Peoples explained the way American values commodify people as vessels of productivity, acknowledging the significant undertaking of redefining these values to create a more equitable future.

“I believe that it begins with creating a culture of wellness that truly honors our humanity,” Peoples said. “What most people don’t realize is that we need to understand the social, historical, and biological context of what it means to be well in our society in order to understand how some of the ways that we navigate through the world are actually making us ill.”

She says it is important for everyone to examine the role of productivity within mainstream American values, including allies working for social justice, but she notes the way racial identity affects one’s relationship with this capitalistic ideal.

“As people of African descent, we navigate a complex and unique set of challenges, both in and out of the classroom and the workplace. Many of these challenges are often born out of a mismatch of ones personal ideology… and those of American society at large,” Peoples said.

Part of the webinar included a discussion of different elements of traditional American ideology’s relationship with work, such as individualism, competition and materialism.

These were contrasted with contradictory values dominant in several other cultures, such as collectivism, cooperation and spiritualism.

She then outlined what she refers to as the SMART model, a framework for pursuing wellness as a lifestyle.

“It’s not an endpoint or a final destination, It’s really transforming your health one decision at a time. It’s deliberately choosing to value your humanity every single day, and that is the fierce urgency of now,” she said. “SMART wellness is a framework for creating a lifestyle that supports emotional well-being while also holding space to challenge the systems and structures that stand in the way of creating a fair and just society.”

The letters in the acronym stand for sleep, movement, awareness, recognition and tailor inputs which measure different factors of wellness.

She adds that People’s definition of rest is not just an individual practice, but a communal one which complements King’s legacy.

“A key part of MLK’s message is not only alleviating racial tension but creating racial ties. Prioritized not only that internal work, but communal work,” Robinson said. “This fits perfectly for St. Ben’s and St. John’s where we not only prioritize creating community, but maintaining it.”