Black Joy

"Black joy" is not merely a celebration; it's a declaration of the strength and radiant beauty of the Black experience. It’s a bold affirmation of Black life and culture, and a defiant act of resistance against centuries of oppressive narratives. This joy is not just about personal elation, but a collective strategy for liberation and empowerment. Black joy is the result of Black communities’ intentional cultivation of happiness and resilience in the face of all efforts toward their marginalization. It transforms the joy of Black folks into a powerful statement of self-determination and liberation.

Black joy asserts the right to happiness and fulfillment for Black people everywhere—including those living at the intersections of various marginalized identities. It holds the joy of Black women who face both racial and gender-based oppression. It includes the joy of queer Black folks who face homophobia in addition to racism. The joy of Black folks who live with disabilities, whose happiness challenges both ableist and racist narratives. And the joy of Black folks who are also Muslim or Jewish, who must navigate both racial and religious oppression. In other words, Black joy is about celebrating the whole selves of all Black people in all their complexity and asserting the right of all Black people to happiness and freedom in a world that often denies it to them.

Black joy is not just a state of being. It’s a radical celebration of the entirety of the Black existence, asserting the undeniable right of Black people to happiness and freedom. It's a joy that not only survives but thrives, undimmed by even the most brutal forms of oppression. The existence and celebration of Black joy points to the cracks in the very foundation of systemic oppression, revealing the ineffectiveness of attempts to suppress the human spirit. It signals not just the potential to but also the active process of dismantling oppressive systems. In this way, Black joy is a revolutionary force, moving us toward a world that is not only freer and more joyous for Black people, but freer and more joyous for all.