Claiming sanctuary, as articulated by Bayo Akomolafe, is the profoundly human act of seeking refuge and reclaiming spaces of safety, both within oneself and within the world, in the face of overwhelming chaos and existential turbulence. It is an invitation to retreat into a sacred pause, to unfurl and recalibrate the soul's bearings away from the relentless march of crisis. However, it transcends mere evasion; it is an act of radical recalibration, a declaration of the legitimacy of one's vulnerability and a radical gesture of re-narrating one's place in the intricate weave of existence. By claiming sanctuary, we embrace a space where we can reimagine possibilities, commune with the silence, and tap into ancestral wisdoms that have preserved the sanctity of life itself. It is an embodied invocation of stillness and a courageous stand for the tender reclamation of our shared humanity.

See also: making sanctuary, post activism, black geographies, white supremacy, slave trade