Seeing Wellness as Political Refusal

Rutgers University–Newark’s Sheila Y. Oliver Center for Politics and Race in America, in partnership with the Department of Urban Education, invites you to a powerful and inspiring conversation on the politics of wellness, rest, and radical care.

Seeing Wellness as Political Refusal: Exploring the Radical and Transformative Care and Wellness Practices of Justice and Diversity Leaders brings together community members, scholars, and justice-oriented leaders for an exploration of how wellness can serve as both resistance and restoration.

We are honored to welcome Cole Arthur Riley—writer, poet, and author of the New York Times bestselling books This Here Flesh (2022) and Black Liturgies. Her work centers Black dignity, spiritual practice, and the liberating possibilities of stillness, embodiment, and communal care.

Curated by Dr. Laura Krystal Porterfield, this event will also feature the opening of a new exhibit, followed by a rich dialogue with Cole Arthur Riley on the role of wellness in movements for justice, diversity, and collective transformation.

Join us for an evening of reflection, creativity, and community as we imagine new possibilities for care and liberation.

Dinner will be served.

Know what’s Happening Next — before everyone else does.

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Host or Publisher Sheila Y. Oliver Center for Politics and Race