Self-Care Is Political Warfare

OFF-KILTER with Rebecca Vallas

With burnout spreading like wildfire throughout progressive advocacy circles even before the COVID-19 pandemic started nearly three years ago, Rebecca’s been feeling called to take the podcast in something of a different direction this year (you can read more about it here).

So, starting with this week’s 2023 opener, Off-Kilter will be spending the upcoming season going behind the scenes of the economic justice topics and debates the podcast has been uplifting for years and leaning into another dimension of the meaning of the term off-kilter, by digging into why, in the famous words of Audre Lorde, self-care is indeed political warfare—and what it looks like for social justice warriors of all stripes to care for ourselves as we fight for economic justice and liberation for all.

And to help us kick this season off right, Rebecca sat down with her good friend Aisha Nyandoro, CEO of Springboard to Opportunities and founder of the Magnolia Mother’s Trust, to talk about the role radical self-care plays in her life and how she shows up for herself in this work.

For more:

• Learn more about Springboard to Opportunities and the Magnolia Mother’s Trust
• Follow Aisha on Twitter @aisha_nyandoro
• For more on the origins of radical self-care, check out this great Refinery29 piece: “Reclaiming Audre Lorde’s Radical Self-Care”
• And for the original context of Audre Lorde’s famous quote, check out her 1988 essay collection, A Burst of Light