Writer, artist Tricia Hersey to give annual MLK lecture

Writer, multidisciplinary artist and theologian Tricia Hersey will speak on "Rest Is Resistance" at the annual Martin Luther King Jr. Commemorative Lecture, Feb. 9 at 7 p.m. in Sage Chapel.

The author of the New York Times bestselling book "Rest is Resistance: A Manifesto," "The Nap Ministry's Rest Deck: 50 Practices to Resist Grind Culture" and "We Will Rest!: The Art of Escape," Hersey's work studies the ways in which rest and imagination are intertwined with higher purpose and resistance.

"This year, our committee knew that we needed a speaker who could hold space for our students who are navigating grief and loss, experiencing emotional burnout and mental health crises and struggling to show up for themselves and for others," said Drew Aliyah Valentine, a planning committee member and a diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging student support specialist with the College of Architecture, Art and Planning. "Tricia Hersey's 'Rest is Resistance' framework is rooted in community care, ritual, self-reflection, artistic expression and other ancestral practices that our communities use to survive."

A graduate of Eastern Illinois University with a bachelor's degree in public health, Hersey also holds a master's in divinity from the Candler School of Theology at Emory University. In 2016, Hershey founded the Nap Ministry, an organization that curates performance art and facilitates immersive workshops that examine rest as a tool for community healing. Through the Nap Ministry, Tricia created the "Rest is Resistance" and "Rest as Reparations" frameworks that explore the liberatory power of rest.

Over the years, the Nap Ministry has installed spaces for communities to nap together in parks, yoga studios, conferences, art galleries, living rooms and community organizations spaces. Hersey and the organization also host workshops focused on creating nap rituals that utilize text, music, poetry and meditation designed to empower and encourage attendees to practice self-care and self-reflection.

The 2026 Commemorative Lecture is also part of the university's Health Promoting Campusinitiative, which aims to promote health and well-being across all facets of university life.

"I think that Tricia Hersey's philosophy is something that could be very useful to students right now, especially at a school as rigorous as Cornell," said Aubrey Billups '28, a student member of the lecture's planning committee. "As schoolwork picks up and politics become ever more tumultuous, it is important to relay this message to Cornell's hardworking students, and I think Hersey's welcoming demeanor and honest, open dialogues will be a great way to get the conversation started."

To ensure seating, pre-registrationfor the Commemorative Lecture is required for all in-person attendees. The event will also be available via livestream. Following her speech on Feb. 9, Hersey will host three guided rest sessions open to students, faculty and staff on Feb. 10 and 11. Hersey will facilitate these experiences with yoga mats, curated soundtracks, a rest altar, poetic meditations and a post-nap talk. Due to limited space, registration is required.

The event is sponsored by Office of Spirituality and Meaning-Making; Black Student Empowerment; Greater Ithaca Activity Center (GIAC); Cornell Human Resources Department of Inclusion and Belonging; Office of Diversity and Inclusion at the College of Architecture, Art and Planning; Health Promoting Campus; and Frederic C. Wood Lecture Fund.

Ben Badua is a creative content manager for Student and Campus Life.