Tricia Hersey

Tricia Hersey is an American poet, performance artist, and activist best known as the founder of the organization The Nap Ministry. She refers to herself as the Nap Bishop and advocates for the importance of rest as a racial and social justice issue.

Early and Personal life Hersey was born and raised on the south side of Chicago. Her father was a pastor in the Church of God in Christ ( COGIC). growing up in a black church, Hersey states the culture of prayer, singing, and leadership she saw in church largely influenced her community organizing, creativity, and leadership style. There were several reasons that influenced Herseys journey to becoming a chaplain, she studied Buddhism when attending a buddhist temple in Chicago during her teen years, and learned more about Islam during the time she spent in Morocco. Hersey completed two years of service as a Peace Corps volunteer in Morocco. currently Hersey resides in Atlanta with her husband. She has a son nicknamed dream.

Education Hersey received her bachelor's degree in public health from Eastern Illinois University. The additional rest made her feel healthier and more energized, and she began to incorporate rest into her graduate research topics of black liberation theology, somatics, and cultural trauma. Hersey received a Master of Divinity degree from the Candler School of Theology. and calls for rest as a form of resistance to white supremacy and capitalism. Hersey has stated that she sees education as a tool of healing and liberation within communities. she has also expressed her support for informal forms of education outside of formal institution and participation in self-directed studies, forums on creativity, spirituality, and community issues

She is the author of the Instant New York Times Bestseller Rest is Resistance: A Manifesto which was published October 11, 2022. In this book, Hersey encourages the reader to think about the meaning of rest as well as to reflect on how they can heal and reconnect with themselves.

The Nap Ministry Hersey founded The Nap Ministry in 2016, an organization that advocates for rest as a form of reparations and a pathway to ancestral connection. Hersey states that the Nap Ministry and the nickname "Nap Bishop" were intentionally chosen to reflect the ease of rests and naps. During the pandemic, the Nap Ministry's social media pages started to become more popular as she shared her ideas and promoted the importance of rest. As of May 2024, the Nap Ministry has 549,000 followers on Instagram.

Soul and Community Care

One of Hersey establishments include her soul care sessions. Her motivation for starting this was because she was born out of the prayers of her grandparents and parents‚ who survived and thrived as a result of a constant state of prayer and connection to community as a healing tool․ Hersey passion for community building allowed her to create Soul sessions, a blend of rest coaching and spiritual direction for healing ․ during this time, Hersey encourages engagement with text‚ song‚ silence‚ poetry‚ meditation‚ rest‚ prayer and collective dreaming to enable exhausted bodies and minds to self-care and self-reflection․ She also organizes workshops based on writing poetry, black liberation theology, and creative empowerment