By Roger Catlin — 2021
Works of art create a picture of activism and resilience, and reenforce the strength of black culture across generations.
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CLEAR ALL
It’s hard to be a joyful Black creative on a good day; to pour your being into beautiful work amid ongoing injustices is already taxing. And during the current unprecedented and uncertain times, reclaiming and protecting that Black joy may feel particularly difficult.
Black people should not deny themselves spaces where we find joy and wonder—they are too rare in our lives.
Where society has told Black people to “be quiet”, or that we’re “too loud”, revelling in joy is an act of resistance. As our feeds become even more inundated with images of trauma, joy can help us heal, too.
Characterized throughout American history as symbols of crisis, trauma, and grief, these women consistently reject those narratives through world-making of their own.
Amid protests against police brutality and structural racism toward black Americans, some lean into the joy of tradition as resistance.
Black joy isn’t about erasing the difficulties of the Black experience, but showing the whole truth by creating balance, says Kleaver Cruz.
What better way to use Black History Month than as practice for creating a world that demands displays of Black joy and pleasure year-round?