I’ve been reading Who Is Wellness For? An Examination of Wellness Culture and Who It Leaves Behind by Fariha Róisín, and the book has sparked many reflections. It challenges the way wellness is often framed as individual, commodified, and disconnected from the well-being of others.

One quote in particular has stayed with me:

“I can’t write about self-care without first pointing toward the obvious—your care cannot impede on the care of others. Just like the concept of freedom—ask yourself, is it really freedom if it is only for some? If we prioritized not just what we think we deserve, but also how we are in relation to others, and thus how we care for them as well, we might experience true liberation…”

This passage feels relevant not only to where I am in America, but on a global level. It has encouraged me to look beyond my immediate environment and to actively learn about other cultures and the injustice in different parts of the world.

Books, music, and art all shape how we understand culture, resistance, and care. As part of this reflection, I’ve been learning more about my ancestors and the healing modalities rooted in the Caribbean and West Africa. In these traditions, creative expression has always been deeply connected to survival and community.

Reggae music, in particular, has long been a form of resistance and storytelling. It holds history, struggle, and hope all at once. The following song continues to remind me of this connection:

"Redemption Song" Bob Marley & The Wailers

Old pirates, yes, they rob I

Sold I to the merchant ships

Minutes after they took I

From the bottomless pit

But my hand was made strong

By the hand of the Almighty

We forward in this generation

Triumphantly

Won't you help to sing

These songs of freedom?

'Cause all I ever have

Redemption songs

Redemption songs

Emancipate yourselves from mental slavery

None but ourselves can free our minds

Have no fear for atomic energy

'Cause none of them can stop the time

How long shall they kill our prophets

While we stand aside and look? Ooh!

Some say it's just a part of it

We've got to fulfill the book

Won't you help to sing

These songs of freedom?

'Cause all I ever have

Redemption songs

Redemption songs

Redemption songs

Emancipate yourselves from mental slavery

None but ourselves can free our minds

Whoa! Have no fear for atomic energy

'Cause none of them-ah can-ah stop-ah the time

How long shall they kill our prophets

While we stand aside and look?

Yes, some say it's just a part of it

We've got to fulfill the book

Won't you help to sing

These songs of freedom?

'Cause all I ever have

Redemption songs

All I ever have

Redemption songs

These songs of freedom

Songs of freedom

I’ve been challenging myself to explore how I can more fully support collective liberation. The more I read and listen to individuals within the global majority, the more I’m able to take actionable steps. This matters to everyone right now and to future generations.

Art credit: Jessica Duling "Liberation Requires Resistance" from https://againstapartheid.art/downloads

Artist credit: Bria Benjamin "AFRO AMERICAN SOLIDARITY WITH OPPRESSED PEOPLE OF THE WORLD (FREE PALESTINE)" @briabydesign

https://againstapartheid.art/toolkits