Self-Care for Social Justice

lewiscq
Mar 22, 2021
4 min read

Updated: Mar 31, 2021

Ways to foster individual self-growth as a mechanism to support the collective good: a conversation with Beloit College professor Sonya Maria Johnson, PhD.

This week I had the distinct pleasure of conversing with Dr. Sonya Maria Johnson, professor of critical identity studies and religion at Wisconsin's Beloit College. More than teaching, Johnson is a woman who centers her life and classroom around meditative and restorative practices to cultivate a sustained sense of self.

One of the many focuses of our conversation stemmed around the misnomer that self-care is a luxury. Johnson quoted Audre Lorde, American writer, feminist, and civil-rights activist pictured to the left, to explain the necessity of integrated mind/body work stating, “Caring for myself is not self-indulgence, it is self-preservation, and that is an act of political warfare.” I loved hearing self-care as a proponent of justice seeking power, rather than something that is self-centered. Self-care as a forethought rather than an afterthought can be a way to responsibly converse with your own needs, to in turn support the needs of the community.

Johnson's own practices with self-care focus largely on integrating mind/body work. One way she accomplishes this is through morning open flow time yoga. As a certified advanced yoga instructor, Johnson places a great emphasis on the healing nature of intuitive body movement. Even Johns Hopkins University medical recently released research showing the physical benefits of yoga including more restful sleep, increased energy and mood, and stress relief. In combination with yoga, Johnson also does "Meditations from the Mat," a series of reflections published by Katrina Kenison and Rolf Gates, which offer a way to integrate the mindfulness that yoga teaches into everyday life. Outside of the practices of yoga, Johnson also stressed that because self-care is not a luxury, many of the practices we can use to support our bodies do not have to be either. Making your bed, drinking water, taking a nap - these can all be ways in which we practice self-care. They are centered around listening to the needs of your body and choosing to do something about it.

Now what does that have to do with social justice or a collective good? Johnson seemed to believes that vulnerability is the key to leadership. Being truly open to others' ideas, being open to making sure other are cared for, stems from our ability to sustain a sense of vulnerability. The objection to self-care is self-denial, and in a world that is desperately in need of collective care, we do not have the option to neglect our own needs, our intuitions, to be guarded leaders. In other words, to make strides for others, we must first make strides for ourselves. Teaching is one way that Johnson makes strides in supporting a collective wellbeing. Through her sustained efforts to implement self-care into her own life, she has had the opportunity to advocate for the needs of her undergraduate students. This idea became ingratiated in Johnson coincidentally the same way she met her lifelong friend, Wofford's very own Courtney Dorroll. In the summer of 2019, Johnson and Dorroll were co-fellows for a Wabash Center for Teaching and Learning Community workshop that sought to engage with unique pedagogies. It attempted to identify places of abundance to create sustainable efforts in classrooms across the country. Dorroll and Johnson quickly bounced ideas off each other, in relation to their position as female religious scholars in a male dominated sphere and as individuals hoping to create a classroom culture of attentive care and growth. Dr. Dorroll's experience greatly impacted her decision to apply for the NetVUE grant and experience continue her research with self-care practices. Johnson was also inspired to continue implementing unique, self-care minded practices into her classroom.

One of the main ways that Johnson approaches self-care and social justice in her classroom is through centering the marginalized. While marginalized groups are by no means homogenous, they point of making all oppressed and marginalized groups central is that suddenly, all other demographics are included. Meaning, if you center your classroom around serving white heterosexual males, you are discounting the narratives of so many other demographics by giving them power through privilege. However, when you make the classroom accessible to subordinated identities, you are making inclusivity a priority. Johnson has recently implemented fidget gadgets into her classroom to meet the needs of neurodivergent students. By placing a basket of these gadgets at the front of the classroom, she is giving neurodivergent students, and those neurotypical students who are interested, the opportunity to have a mechanism that supports their class engagement and increases their productivity. To the contrary, many classrooms make students who suffer from ADD, ADHD, or Dyslexia, can feel excluded through their needs for accommodations. This simple act makes students aware that Johnson is willing to support marginalized groups and advocate for their needs. Other ways that Johnson supports student growth and self-care practices is through her attendance policy. All students are allowed excused absences if they are needing to take a mental health day. They do not need to disclose the reason for such a day, and the matter will be handled with respect and sensitivity. Lastly, Johnson also centers her classroom around the student climate. Rather than sticking to a stringent lesson plan, Johnson gauges how students are reacting to the material at hand. There are some days in which a review day is necessary, and around finals and midterms, Johnson makes sure to pace herself with the students' abundant workload.

While our discussion largely centered around social justice and inclusivity in the classroom, these same techniques can be applied to all matters of diversity, equity, and inclusion seeking. The same way that Johnson centers her students' needs in the classroom, managers can do with employees, or parents can do with children. When a leader listens to cues within their own bodies, they are more in tune to reading cues in their environment and practicing sustainable ways to support their community. With a rapport of respect, collective justice, and sensitivity, Johnson was awarded the James R. Underkofler Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching Award, Beloit’s highest teaching award, which is based on student nominations. This recognition reiterates the need for leadership through attentiveness and continues to propel Johnson's desire for care-based techniques in the classroom and her community.