As activists we are always working, always thinking, always organizing, and often forget to take a few moments to relax and rejuvenate ourselves, our bodies, and center ourselves for a few moments. There rarely are times that we give ourselves to just rest on purpose. I’ve learned that it is essential to do this for ourselves to stay grounded, focused, and energized for the work we do towards social justice.

Often I felt guilty when I took time for myself because I was never mentored that it was all right to do this. I want to let you all know that it is all right to take time for yourself; to take a step or two back, to take a break, to be entertained. It is an important part towards maintaining good mental health and decreasing burnout. Sometimes people think that because we critique the media and always have our media literacy lens “on” that we cannot find enjoyable and entertaining experiences through the media without compromising our social and media justice agenda.



I’d like to share with you a few of the non-media and media choices I go to often when I need a break. There are times when having a few hours to yourself, or inviting friends over to share your personal time with is exactly what we need. Sometimes we need to remove ourselves from a particular space and go somewhere else. Often, my budget doesn’t allow me to enjoy going to another space since my ideal location is the beach, where I’m reminded there is something bigger than me and bigger than all of us. Knowing this, and that my budget doesn’t always allow such interactions with the sea, I have a stash of things I enjoy doing to help myself rest and rejuvenate and I’d like to share them with you in hopes that you too can find comfort and rest, or be inspired to find and create ones that are unique to you.

As many of you know since you’ve read my bio above, I identify, as femme and I love make up. One of the things I do is find some time in the middle of the day or later in the evening and go to a mall make up counter or to Sephora and have someone there do my make up. It’s nice to have someone talk with you about colors, effects, seasonal changes, moisturizing, and almost always you get a compliment. I’ve learned a lot about how make up is used in films, with lighting, how to create certain affects that have allowed me to recognize when these techniques are used when I see films. You don’t have to buy anything if you walk in (however if you make an appointment check that this is true), and for me it’s just comforting to have someone I don’t know be invested in something I enjoy and can talk to me.

I’m not near my family and I’m not a great cook. Often my friends who enjoy cooking have no problem with me inviting myself over with a few days notice for a good home cooked meal. Sometimes this means a 2-hour train ride to Brooklyn, but it’s worth it. Plus, there is so much you can do in that 2-hour train ride: read a book, listen to music, people watch, make a to-do list, play with a Rubik’s cube (I like puzzles) and, if you are so inclined, talk to someone and make new friends (I admit I don’t often do this). 

Finally, one of the things I enjoy doing almost all the time, and to no one’s surprise, are watch movies! Here are a handful of my feel-good films and shows that you can find in many video stores and libraries:

Robot Stories by Greg Pak
I first saw this film 5 years ago when it showed on my campus as part of the Asian Film Festival. I was immediately intrigued as the tagline is: “science fiction from the heart.” There are four vignettes/stories that follow the experiences and exchanges the characters have with technology from adopting a child, finding missing pieces of a childhood toy, android office workers, and my personal favorite digitized memories of our past we hold onto for immortality. I often tell people of the one story that really made me excited for this film and it is the final vignette “Clay.” Here we see an older Asian man partnered with an older Black woman and how their lives progressed together. This is a coupling we rarely see, especially among older adults, and I remain ever grateful to Greg Pak for this representation.



Miracle At St Anna by Spike Lee
When this film was released last year I really wanted to see it in the theaters. Unfortunately, it was not out long enough for me to get to see it until it was released on DVD. I really hate it when I see a film on DVD and just know I should have really seen it on a larger screen because it is that good. That is what I felt when I saw Miracle At St. Anna. I was also incredibly shocked that NO Latino media had picked this film up when the lead character is a Black Puerto Rican soldier. I need to spend more time with this film, but that feature alone is enough for me to question the marketing and the appeal of the film. I had no clue there was a Black Puerto Rican lead, and for me, this really changed my perception of the story as our stories, the ones of LatiNegros, are rarely shared.




Girlfight by Karyn Kusama
I’ve spoken about Girlfight before, how I love the script and the perspective writer/director Kusama used to create this film. Not only is it an amazing representation of media justice, challenging gender roles and stereotypes, demonstrating powerful resilience of young women, and the determination of working class people, but also it is a brilliant storyline. It is not often we hear the story of the experiences of the eldest daughter to a single father who is not a “girly girl” and finds meaning and value through relationships she builds with mentors and coaches through boxing. This film will forever be a classic in my library and I encourage you all to experience it in full.




Monsoon Wedding by Mira Nair
Honestly, anything Mira Nair touches and creates is gold to me. I especially love this film because it challenges what outsiders, myself included, may believe about arranged marriages in some cultures. My perspectives changed and I learned so much and unlearned even more because this film inspired me to do research and read narratives of couples partnered through family arrangements. The film also has an amazing cast, fabulous storylines, and soundtrack that I purchased because it is beautiful.




Memento by Christopher Nolan
If it’s a psychological thriller than I know I’m going to enjoy it! Memento is one of the most amazing films in this genre that I’ve seen and I always discover something new with each viewing. Remember when I said I enjoyed puzzles? This is the ultimate in puzzles and the DVD additions include clues, newspaper clippings, and other small details to continue with the pulling apart of the puzzle. The film not only has the psychological thriller and puzzle features I enjoy but other things I love in the film: tattoos, polaroids, and attractive people!




The Fall by Tarsem Singh
OMG! That’s really all I can say about this film. If you don’t know the cinematic amazement that is Tarsem Singh (The Cell) you got work to do! Believe me you will not be disappointed!



The Matrix Trilogy
 by the Wachowski Brothers
Yes I went there and I love to go there because I really see a lot of similarities in dedicating your life to justice and taking the red pill. The symbolism is amazing; the effects still riveting, and the costumes just dope. I still can’t believe that it’s already been 10 years since the first film release. Any film that inspires new dancehall moves is one we must see!




Dancehall Queen  by Rick Elgood and Don Letts
Speaking of Danchall, Dancehall Queen is one of the first films that centered women’s work in the Caribbean, specifically in Jamaica. I use this film when I teach to demonstrate how dance in various forms is work for many women. That performance of gender and movement is very much a reality for many working class women around the world and not just theory that you read about in books. Women can find self-determination in performing some elements of dance that some may consider a form of sex work. Regardless of your position, this film has yet to have a rival with the topics that are presented in a Caribbean space. Plus, the soundtrack is essential for any dancehall lover!




A Different World TV series
I grew up watching this series, a spin-off of The Cosby Show, which follows a group of Black students attending a Historically Black College & University. I’m sure this is one of the reasons I saw higher education as normal, an expectation, and something I wanted to experience. It saddens me that this series was not continued, or was replaced by questionable reality shows because this series has it all! If you’ve never witnessed the series in its entirety (6 seasons) you can find it on DVD. How many people do you recognize in this clip?




Pushing Daises TV Series
When this show began 2 years ago I was incredibly excited. It has all the things I love about magical realism, color, crime fighting, pie, and songs. The songs alone are amazing and the characters who sing them actually can sing (Kristen Chenoweth http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kristin_Chenoweth  nuff’said!). A series that lasted only two seasons, it has rocked my world more than any other television show on non-cable channels. Not only that, but since the two lovers cannot touch one another they must find new ways to express their love and desire. It’s an amazing representation of the limitlessness of expression and gives a new spin to the ideology of abstinence.




My hope is that all of you find some time to rest in whatever way helps you the most. See you all in the New Year!