Survival is maintaining ones footing and foundation and is mostly centered in the present-day. Jefferson said incorporating art in organizing is important. . Not to mention the positive impact this will have on the next generation? "I think that for me, and for us, it made us feel like therere so many people that echoed the same sentiments that we felt in that moment that our child was being seen, she said. Whether romantic or platonic, family or friend humans were made for relationships. Its the idea that in order to be a good woman, you have to be self-sacrificing. The organizations Arts Liberation and Leadership Institute (ALLI), a 10-week after-school program for teens funded in part by an Arts Endowment grant, is one of the programs that was conducted entirely via Zoom this past fall. What, according to Roderique, is Black joy, and why do we rarely "see it in mainstream media and other spaces" (2)? This also, though, powers our collective belief in the future in our future. "During this period of time, it can be really difficult to be happy to find joy," he told TODAY. I have good reason though I'm Black and American. They are, also, the exact antidote to the time we live in. Black joy is, and always has been, an act of resistance. Still, the numerous ways Black women experience joy and celebration are often overlooked in higher education. Still we vote. But no matter how famous Jamison gets, he says that he'll still greet his kids with a "dope" handshake every chance he gets. And still we believe in America. Against all of this, however, Black Americans have remained defiant, indefatigable and unsinkable. As a way to celebrate Black history this month, TODAY is here to share 10 exceptional people who are exemplifying Black joy while uplifting their communities. Arts Corps teaching artist Adam Jabari Jefferson led the digital storytelling pathway and served as the social justice lead for the program. This content can also be viewed on the site it originates from. We are building on the foundation that was laid by the Black women astronauts who have come before me, she said. How are you encouraging those you are in community with to seek joy and hold onto it fiercely, even in the very darkest hour? The more powerful, open-minded, resilient, joy-filled and purpose-led citizens in the world, the better, she says. 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Yet that threat of violence never materialized. he wrote on Twitter at the time. Many Black thinkers talk about the power of hope and the power of joy, the power of Black celebration. Building this type of supportive community is essential to Arts Corps mission: providing arts education to K-12 students in South Seattle and South King County, Washington, where race is the greatest predictor of whether or not a student has access to arts education. No. Walker uses the refrain For my people to describe the centuries of oppression Black Americans have enduredand their struggle for freedom. "Black joy is an essential part of Black cultural expression," said Nsenga Burton, a film and media professor at Emory University. [Carnival] came out of something so tragic, after Kelso Cochrane, an aspiring lawyer, was murdered in a racist attack on the streets, she tells me over Zoom about the existence of Notting Hill Carnival as a joyful form of resistance. A Black defiance of racism. My father never let me enjoy the puppet show; instead, he made me focus on the puppeteers. She emphasized that while Black joy is resistance, it is not the full picture. I was having trouble sleeping. In 2019, Davis Jamison, aka The Dope Educator," became a face for Black joy when he created a unique handshake for all 75 of his students and remembered them. Its about discovering what makes you feel taken care of and leaning into that. Black people are able and allowed to find happiness and comfort despite their tribulations. She wanted me to be happy if I simply survived. To cope, Sage began searching for the funniest videos she could find of Black people laughing and then she shared her favorites on Instagram. They would teach dances in parking lots to allow participants to social distance while still experiencing a sense of togetherness during a time of isolation. Send us asecure tip. She wanted me to be happy if I simply survived. This idea that Black people can be happy, despite their trauma and history of oppression, is Black joy. Bring on the Black Joy. Black joy, she realized, is not the absence of struggles but the act of perseverance and resilience despite it. "I was like, let me put this together and share so that other people can feel something lighter during this time of darkness," she said. With so much left for people of color to accomplish and moments to celebrate, Graham affirms that Black people, regardless of circumstance, have the full right to celebrate themselves and feel joyful doing so. Ever since we were brought to the US and enslaved, our lives have been subjugated and our freedoms have been regulated, she explains. The most powerful thing that we can do is experience joy. Since the Black Lives Matter movement, Lance has been running free stretching classes for Black women and non-binary folk as a way to express joy and experience healing. I was in my room [kind of] bored in quarantine [and] one of the things I wanted to do was organise my iPhone camera roll. Feel free to share these glorious laughs, Sage told TODAY. Even when you sneeze its embarrassing, Siahpush, acting executive director of Arts Corps, said when recounting the incident. Thank you Dr Thema. It's honest and it gives [students] a space to be critical, to imagine different ways to live in society, live in a community with one another, live in relationship with our planet, he said. Joy also doesnt have to be organised; it can be random, sporadic and scrappy. And still we believe in America. As the Arts Corps Social Justice Framework for Teaching Artists notes, Art develops creative and imaginative capacity, which offers new ways of thinking. Last Valentine's Day, he gifted her with a cute velvet teddy bear that he made by hand and this year, he made her an adorable plush owl that she can take anywhere. Arnold Schwarzenegger Resistance to the organized mass can be effected only by the man who is as well organized in his individuality as the mass itself. They'll be departing Earth on SpaceXs Crew Dragon capsule, and they're not expected to return until six months later, when they finish their mission known as Crew-4. But that even in the darkest times in a white supremist society, Black people still find a way to laugh and love. And at some point, we are owed our joy.. It takes strength to say, This is not going to get the best of me or take me down. My joy is also an act of resistance. The reason that joy and resistance pair so well is because as Black folks, we have been resisting all our lives. It takes strength to say, "This is not going to get the best of me or take me down." My joy is also an act of resistance.. The 19th thanks our sponsors. There are things that have been unresolved in our family and within our community. Carnival is a force for healing, but also resistance. Chante Joseph, What Black Joy MeansAnd Why Its More Important Than Ever, British Vogue, July 29, 2020. We know the ritual all too well. Its about using that joy as an entry into understanding the oppressive forces we navigate through as a means to imagine and create a world free of them. I wanted to give people the space to breathe and not be under constant interrogation. Undaunted, we still believe that one day white people will finally come around and stop being so terrified that we will harm them if the boot is removed from our neck. So I think theres this really powerful thing that were saying no, Black people are joyful, theyre not angry.. Watkins, who was selected for NASA'S astronaut program in 2017, told NPRs Morning Edition in January how happy she was to undertake this mission. Stop. This is how we bring #JoyToThePolls in Southwest Philly! Review Quotes Sahaj Kohli, founder of Brown Girl Therapy, previously told TODAY how important it is for children of immigrants to get therapy. Carl Jung Well+Good decodes and demystifies what it means to live a well life, inside and out. The London protesters underscored this point perfectly in June with their moment of spontaneously joyful movement. To choose joy is to say that regardless of years of systemic oppression, unfair disadvantages, and everything life may try to throw your way, in the words of the late Maya Angelou Still I Rise.. The constant access to trauma lives inside us and manifests in ways that are not always easy to spot, slowly etching away at our peace. 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