Hopefully by now, Black women are beginning to recognize that self-care is the ultimate form of resistance in the fight for justice and equality. And for many, indulging in self-care means escaping to our favorite beach or country locale for a bit of rest and relaxation.
Getaway—a company that builds collections of tiny, comfortable, carefully curated cabins situated in the middle of nature—gets it. Conveniently located within a two-hour drive from most major U.S. cities, the five-year-old biz helps guests escape the daily grind of everyday life and appreciate the quiet beauty of nature—something we’re in need of now more than perhaps ever before. It’s the ultimate retreat for Black women to practice self-care so we can recharge, refresh and rewire for action.
“Caring for myself is not self-indulgence, it is self-preservation, and that is an act of political warfare,” the late Black lesbian feminist essayist, poet and activist Audre Lorde wrote in her 1988 essay collection, A Burst of Light. In partnership with the Loveland Foundation founder Rachel Cargle, 100 Nights of Rest Getaway is giving 100 free getaways to Black people in need of a little self-preservation. Whether we’re fighting the good fight on the front lines or in a boardroom (virtually, of course), many of us could benefit from a night of rest.
Through September 24, you can nominate “Black people working for change, or those fighting for the Black community,” no matter the industry, on Getaway’s site, explaining why your nominee deserves a night of rest. You’ll also have to choose a preferred location from one of Getaway’s 11 options—near cities like Austin, Los Angeles and Portland—for your nominee to stay. Recipients of a night of rest will be contacted weekly on Instagram and will receive $200 to cover transportation and food costs during their stay. The one-night stay will also never expire, says Getaway, and can be taken at any time.
Cargle, whose foundation provides mental health resources for Black girls and women, cited a recent restful weekend of her own as the catalyst for the partnership in an Instagram post.
Everything about the experience—from the location, minimalist cabin design and absence of Wi-Fi—helps guests unplug from the stress of daily life, reset and embrace simple pleasures, like a quiet walk in the woods and a roaring campfire. Getaway’s tiny cabins—complete with air-conditioning, a bathroom, a shower, a kitchen, a sitting area and a queen-size bed—are a near-perfect escape from city life. Also, to ensure guest safety, Getaway has implemented social distancing and routine cleaning procedures, such as self-check-in, reduced capacity, an absence of communal spaces, and cabins spaced at least 50 to 150 feet apart.
As Cargle noted, “Black people staying alive and well is the resistance, because that’s what they’ve tried to rob us of generation after generation.”
Getaway’s 11 outposts are located outside Atlanta and in Austin, Texas; San Antonio (recently announced, opened at the end of April); Boston; Cleveland; Pittsburgh; Dallas; Houston (also recently announced, opening this summer); Los Angeles; New York; Portland, Oregon; and Washington, D.C.—with more on the way this year.