Celebrating Black Joy
Much of the media we consume, the content we share, and the history we learn is steeped in Black trauma, struggle, and oppression. Consistent and well-informed conversation about systemic racism and anti-Blackness is important. However, it often presents the Black experience as a one-dimensional, trauma-filled narrative. In order to counteract the negative impacts of the constant bombardment and commodification of Black pain, many have turned to expressing and celebrating Black joy.
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Black Joy is a celebration movement
Black Joy as a movement has been taking root over the past few years. From the Black Joy Project to viral hashtags like #BlackGirlMagic, people are making a conscious effort to cultivate and spread Black joy.
Black joy disrupts the narrative of white supremacy by accentuating the strengths, beauty, and accomplishments of Black people. It defies anti-Blackness and counteracts negative messaging by celebrating Black skin, hair, bodies, and ways of being as beautiful and aspirational. It’s an opportunity to lift up Black people and to express a full range of human experiences, including delight, enjoyment, and bliss. Black joy celebrates culture, contribution, and legacy. And it takes pleasure in simple, spontaneous, and ordinary moments of joy and laughter – of people simply being people.
It’s what some refer to as "trauma-free Blackness," or the ability to lift up Black life without filtering it through the lens of racism. This is not to ignore the reality of racism, whitewash history, or dismiss the ongoing struggle for equity and liberation. Nor is it about toxic positivity. It’s about resilience and resistance in the face of ongoing oppression. And, it’s about the most mundane and commonplace moments that bring us joy and pleasure.
Watch The Root’s Black and Jubilant: Unpacking Black Joy from the Revolutionary to the Ordinary to learn more.
Black Joy is healing
Many describe Black joy as an act of resistance. Throughout history, the simple act of living, in itself, and finding moments of levity, playfulness, and pleasure in the face of oppression has been an act of defiance in the struggle for liberation. adrienne maree brown calls this pleasure activism. In her book, Pleasure Activism: The Politics of Feeling Good, she writes “Pleasure activism is the work we do to reclaim our whole, happy, and satisfiable selves from the impacts, delusions, and limitations of oppression and/or supremacy.”
The links between happiness and health are well-documented. Laughter can relieve stress and soothe tension. We feel joy in our bodies. When we experience joy, the body releases dopamine and serotonin, elevating our mood and causing a range of positive body responses. Therefore, cultivating joy is also a form of self-care and healing. Audrey Lorde famously said, "Caring for myself is not self-indulgence, it is self-preservation, and that is an act of political warfare." That is, self-care is an act of resistance. And Black joy is self-care.
Activist and scholar Bettina Love states that, “Joy is crucial for social change; Joy is crucial for teaching. Finding joy in the midst of pain and trauma is the fight to be fully human. A revolutionary spirit that embraces joy, self-care, and love is moving towards wholeness. Acknowledging joy is to make yourself aware of your humanity, creativity, self-determination, power, and ability to love abundantly.”
Black Joy isn’t just for Black people
It’s not just the responsibility of Black people to produce, share, and elevate Black joy. Allies and accomplices in anti-racism work can also lift up Black joy to explore the complexity of Black life, counter white supremacy and anti-Blackness, and contribute to healing. Non-Black people must recognize how they contribute to stereotypes and perpetuate a limited representation of the Black experience when, in an effort to be part of the solution, they focus exclusively on racism and oppression, and consistently consume and share information and content about it.
Yes, it is crucial to understand how disparities across all aspects of life disproportionately impact people of color. It is equally important to recognize that those disparities do not solely define Black people. As Sophie Williams, author of Anti-Racist Ally, explains, “Read books about Black and brown people living, not just dying. Engage in content where they thrive, rather than just survive. Remembering the full and complex range of lives and emotions in marginalized people is humanizing, and a lot of fun. You’ll feel better for it.”
Find Black Joy inspiration in pop culture
We’ve put together this collection of contemporary Black joy resources to get you started. But Black joy is all around you if you start paying attention.
Follow accounts like @theBlackJoyProject on Instagram. It started in 2015 when Kleaver Cruz undertook a 30-day personal challenge to share photos of Black joy and has grown into a worldwide movement of healing, community building, and resistance. And follow @BlackQueerJoy, which showcases images of Black LGBTQ+ people around the world in moments of pure joy. We also like @Blavity which tends to post uplifting news and commentary.
Explore Boston Globe culture columnist Jeneé Osterheld’s A Beautiful Resistance. A collection of short films, longform stories, and Q&As that celebrate Black Joy, Black dreams, and Black living.
Visit the digital Museum of Black Joy. A borderless exhibition and interactive archive of non-traumatic Black life in Philadelphia and beyond. It utilizes the traditions of storytelling and emerging technologies to acknowledge and advance experiences rooted in Black joy.
Immerse yourself in Black Joy and Resistance, a photo book by Adreinne Waheed.
Read Black Joy the zine by Ayoka and 33 carats, a collection of art and stories in celebration of Blackness.
Read these 20 books bursting with Black joy.
Listen to these 5 essential, uplifting Black culture podcasts. We also recommend For Colored Nerds.
Watch movies, and tv shows streaming Black joy as recommended by Oprah Daily, the Nerdist, Pop Sugar, and ET. And check out this playlist from Essence.
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Originally published February 1, 2022.
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