About
Tricia Hersey is a Chicago native living in Atlanta with over 20 years experience working with youth and communities as a teaching artist, community organizer, poet, performance artist and theater maker. Founder of The Nap Ministry, Tricia believes impromptu spectacles can bring awareness to social justice issues that paralyze our communities. Her poetry and performance art is greatly influenced by liberation theology, creative empowerment and womanism.
Tricia was born and raised on the South Side of Chicago, thanks to her grandparents migrating from Mississippi and Louisiana during the Great Migration of the late 1940’s. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Public Health from Eastern Illinois University and a Master of Divinity from Emory University, Candler School of Theology.
She has over 200 hours of pastoral care and chaplaincy training from her role as a chaplain intern for a large senior retirement home in Atlanta. Her recent role with The Nap Ministry has allowed her to provide spiritual care via education, counseling and rest to over 300 people in 2018.
Tricia’s research interests include black liberation theology, womanist theology, somatics, healing trauma and reparations. Her work as a teaching artist, archivist assistant, community activist and trainer of arts integrated curriculum has been seen with Chicago Public Schools, Columbia College Chicago, Steppenwolf Theatre, United States Peace Corps, Google Chicago, Emory University Rare Books and Manuscript Library, and numerous community organizations and universities in Chicago and Atlanta.
Tricia loves coffee, naps, brunch and traveling. She lives in South Georgia with her husband Tommy and her son, who is nicknamed The Dream.
Tricia was born and raised on the South Side of Chicago, thanks to her grandparents migrating from Mississippi and Louisiana during the Great Migration of the late 1940’s. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Public Health from Eastern Illinois University and a Master of Divinity from Emory University, Candler School of Theology.
She has over 200 hours of pastoral care and chaplaincy training from her role as a chaplain intern for a large senior retirement home in Atlanta. Her recent role with The Nap Ministry has allowed her to provide spiritual care via education, counseling and rest to over 300 people in 2018.
Tricia’s research interests include black liberation theology, womanist theology, somatics, healing trauma and reparations. Her work as a teaching artist, archivist assistant, community activist and trainer of arts integrated curriculum has been seen with Chicago Public Schools, Columbia College Chicago, Steppenwolf Theatre, United States Peace Corps, Google Chicago, Emory University Rare Books and Manuscript Library, and numerous community organizations and universities in Chicago and Atlanta.
Tricia loves coffee, naps, brunch and traveling. She lives in South Georgia with her husband Tommy and her son, who is nicknamed The Dream.
Recent Teaching and Facilitation:
The Theatre School at DePaul University, Guest Artist and Workshop leader for The Entrepreneurial Actor Course, 2018
Emmaus House, The Road Fellows Program, Black Liberation Theology Workshop, Atlanta, GA. 2017.
Free Street Theater, Performance Art and Direct-Action Workshop, Chicago, IL. January 2017
Google ORD Conference, Ignite Talk, “Rest as Resistance,” Chicago, IL. January 2017.
Emory University, Candler School of Theology, “Poetry As Spiritual Practice,” Teaching Assistant, Summer Course, 2017.
Little 5 Arts Alive Festival, Poetry and Storytelling Workshop, Atlanta, GA. July 2016.
Movement and Somatics Workshop, Emory University Dance Department, Atlanta, GA. December 2015.
Publications:
Long Live the Girls Anthology. Poetry Contributor, Break Arts International Arts and Education Collaborative, Chicago, IL. 2014.
AIMprint: New Relationships in the Arts and Learning. “The Connection” Chicago, IL: Columbia College Chicago, 2008. Print.
Community Organizing Leadership and Training:
Founder: The Nap Ministry is a community installation that examines the liberating power of naps. We believe rest is a form of resistance and install Collective Napping Experiences for the community to rest together in a safe space.
www.instagram.com/thenapministry/?hl=en
Southern Region Member: Black Land and Liberation Initiative. The Black Land and Liberation Initiative is a vision, strategy and training program grounded in black liberation and anchored by black leadership. www.blacklandandliberation.org
Facilitator: 7th Annual Black Urban Growers Conference: Rooted and Rising: Black Southern Land Legacies of Resistance and Resilience. Black Urban Growers (BUGS) is an organization committed to building networks and community support for growers in both urban and rural settings. Through education and advocacy around food and farm issues, we nurture collective Black leadership to ensure we have a seat at the table. www.blackurbangrowers.org
Trainee: Kingian Nonviolence Conflict Reconciliation Curriculum, Emory University, 2018.
Certifications:
National Archives and Records Administration, Federal Records Management and Your National Archives, 2018.
Labyrinth Facilitator Training, Veriditas at The Cathedral of Saint Philip, Atlanta, Georgia, 2014.
