For Black women in America, intentional rest is rarely an option. They’re our teachers, nurses, mothers and leaders… But what would happen if Black women took a year off from all things work to focus on themselves? One Chicago woman is about to find out.
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Brandy Walker, an entrepreneur, former nonprofit leader and single mother, is the mastermind behind the “Black Woman Sabbatical,” a campaign that will explore what it means to completely embrace self-determination without worrying about society’s expectations.
Walker has been in the workforce since she was 11, and as a Black woman, her story is not unique. According to the Institute for Women’s Policy Research, 80 percent of Black women are the breadwinners of their households. This stat, coupled with the fact that Black women disproportionately make up the federal workforce, according to the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, makes it clear that America leans heavily on Black women… maybe a little too much.
“The only way women get a break is– God forbid– we get laid off,” Walker told us. “Or we get sick or have to take care of someone else who is not ourselves. Even when we’re taking a break, we’re often doing work outside of work, so the labor never really ends.”
Her answer to this is simple: take a year off to do anything but work. “During this year I’ll: Read, write, and think without pressure or deadlines, Travel when it feels necessary and follow wherever curiosity leads, Explore new foods, cultures, and experiences, Build community, connect with people, and lean into shared learning, Reflect deeply on what it means to rest, reclaim, and become,” she announced. To get things started, Walker also set up a fundraiser to help finance her sabbatical, which will run from August 2026 to July 2027.
She explained, “Only about three to five percent of people take a planned, extended leave — at least 12 weeks– that is personal.” And in most cases, she said, “these are top-level executives, like the CEO of Walgreens. This is not you and me, working at average jobs.”
Although it took years to develop, this sabbatical became Walker’s priority when she was laid off last year, making her one of 300,000 Black women who found themselves without jobs due to government cuts and the longest shutdown in history.
“It really made me rethink what stability looks like… I was taught to do well in school, go to college, then you can get a good, stable job and have a career,” she said. “That is no longer the case.”
Most folks in Walker’s position as a 38-year-old mother would have panicked, but she looked inward instead. “I thought ‘Wow, at this time in my life– now that my son is older– it would be the first time in my adult life where I wouldn’t be responsible for someone other than myself,’” she admitted. “What would that time and space and opportunity provide for me if I could just take the time to focus on myself, to not have to worry about work?”
Her goal is to remind Black women that they can indeed rest, even if they’re met with criticism. “Nearly everyone is telling me, ‘You just need to apply to more jobs. I’ll take a look at your resume. I’ll help you start your business,’” Walker said. “I am saying ‘No.’”
Walker hopes her sabbatical will inspire Black women to rest unapologetically. She’s already received great responses from Black women who are ready to follow her journey through Substack. As she gets closer to the start of her sabbatical, Walker is also inviting other Black women to join her movement.
“I’m not married. I’m not like a stay-at-home wife or mom. No one is taking care of me. I don’t have a safety net,” Walker admitted. She understands that everyone can’t take one full year off like her, but she hopes her own tenacity will inspire Black women to prioritize themselves in a society that often forgets them.
She added, “I’m going to intentionally not work as expected so that somewhere down the line in the future– hopefully the near future– someone else sees this example to say, ‘You know what? I’m gonna do that too.’”
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