A Black Woman's Sabbatical

The great New Jersey poet Joe Budden asked in his song 10 minutes, "if everybody's depending on me and i just stop.....then what the f*** happens?"
This intentional journey is about exploring what it looks like for a Black woman to divest from a world always asking her to do more and instead choosing to do what she does best....exist.

I want to take a year to explore this as a vote to divest from work and invest in rest because as a Milenial Black woman, I's a tired boss!

I have been working and working through the trauma of life finding my second, third and infiity wind and will to keep going. From the age of 5 when my father died, I was adultified. Cooking, cleaning, taking care of adult responsibilities and that has never gone away. I started working at age 11 taking in laundry, babysitting and other odd jobs to contribute to my household. School, work and sleep (not rest) and then do it all again, and Again, and AGAIN.

I got pregnant in college and on the day after giving birth, I went to school and took 3 final exams. As a single parent, those early years proved my most difficult task. There was no maternity leave, no time off. I went back to work 2 weeks after delivery before my stitches could heal.

Everything I have done up to this point has been about survival and I realize that is no longer sustainable.

As my son graduates high school this Spring it is not lost on me that this may be the first and only opportunity to rest, reinvent myself and reclaim the direction of my life.

Typically, this would be the other way around. A teenager might opt out of college or career to "figure it out" but because I ahve never been afforded that opportunity, I believe my time is now.

This "gap year" or Black woman's sabbatical is about exploring what it means to be without the expectation of work, worry or performance.

During this year I’ll:

Read, write, and think without pressure or deadlines

Travel when it feels necessary and follow wherever curiosity leads

Explore new foods, cultures, and experiences

Build community, connect with people, and lean into shared learning

Reflect deeply on what it means to rest, reclaim, and become

I’m crowdfunding $100,000 to make this possible. Your support will:

Cover the logistics of a year of intentional rest, exploration, and travel

Allow me to document the journey authentically and share the lessons, stories, and discoveries along the way

Sustain me while I create a space for reflection, growth, and inspiration that others can witness and learn from

The Sabbatical will run from Aug 2026-July 2027