Black Joy is an Act of Resistance

I can’t believe I am just now getting around to saying this, but Happy Black History Month y’all! I hope this month has been and will continue to be a time to reflect on the rich and remarkable history of Black people, and how we have persevered to lead full and meaningful lives in so many different forms.

My word for 2024 is joy and I have been trying to be intentional about cultivating joy, laughter, and good memories in my life this year. I want to start by sharing how I define joy and what it means to me because I believe that joy holds a lot of power and being joyous is not something that this world offers us naturally. Joy and happiness are two separate things to me. They aren’t necessarily different, but each word holds its own special place in my life. To me joy is not fleeting or only here for an instant. It is something that continues to stay present in our lives; a feeling of true and consistent bliss and happiness.

It has taken me quite some time throughout the years to determine what joy means to me and not base my joy off of how I believe other people experience joy. In this time I am learning that the things that contribute to my joy are really the small things like hearing my momma excited that her tulips are beginning to sprout, or the joke that my younger cousin Paris tells, or when my favorite Youtubers post a new video that I feel like speaks directly to me. It doesn’t take a lot for me to get really really excited and to start cheesin real big. The fact that I as a Black woman get to experience those joys is truly an act of resistance. I won’t get into what has caused me and other Black people to have to resist against oppression, but I do want to acknowledge that I see and recognize the acts of joy that are within our community and acknowledge what it has taken for each person to experience that joy. 

I shared a couple of examples of how joys shows up for me, but I want to share more about how joy shows up in my life. Oftentimes I experience joy through my community. I am someone who LOVES being alone, but I have noticed that even when I am alone it is the book I am reading or the show I am watching that is contributing to me being able to sustain my joy. Some of the best laughs I have had recently are because of a meme or picture someone has sent me or reading a funny tweet or watching a funny TikTok. I know I am only experiencing those things for a moment, but it is the impact that those instances have had on me which allow me to continue to have joy in my life. 

You know that feeling when you feel a bit warm as you are thinking about something that means a lot to you? That is what joy feels like for me. Most of the time I realize that joy is present when I am reflecting. As I am reflecting I recognize that I am truly content with how I am experiencing things and while it may not be perfect, the circumstances have caused growth and are not harming me in any way. I feel more free, easier, and able to simply exist more than I do when I feel like joy has left my life. When I am experiencing joy it allows me to be able to experience things that I want to take part in and be in community with people who fill my cup up. It helps me to move throughout life with more energy and at the end of the day rest well knowing that while perfectionism is not the goal, joy is.

My hope is for all of us to experience joy now and forever.

Wishing you well,

Danyelle

1:06 pm 2.25.24