Black joy is both a celebration and an act of resistance—a blowing defeat to a system that is designed to keep happiness and success just out of reach for entire communities of people. We talked to our subjects about how they find joy, how they express it, and how they share it.
Dr. Aisha Mays spends her days working with groups of young people dealing with homelessness and abuse, and whom, at first glance, may appear to have little to be joyful about. “When I’m working with young people in my clinic, I’m just in awe and always inspired by the fact that they are able to show up for themselves, care for themselves, laugh and dance, want to hang out and talk about fashion, and all those things. It reminds me that they are still young people, they are thriving, and that we are here to connect with them. And that gives me so much joy.”
“It’s not about taking on every single challenge or every single moment, it’s about doing the part that moves you.”
Dr. Aisha Mays
“One of the ways that I talk to my staff about continuing to find joy, while there’s so much stress and strain kind of going on in the ether around us, is to remember the moment that we’re in right now with a young person can be life changing for them. It’s not about taking on every single challenge or every single moment, it’s about doing the part that moves you.”
Watch Dr. Aisha Mays’ full Black Truth Video here.
“There are many people who’ve come through and said to me, ’Oh, I just love being here with you.’ . And for me, too, it is a bright spot. It really keeps me going. So as much as I’m trying to bring that energy to them, I’m getting so much energy back.”
-Peter Limata
Connecting with young people is a vital source of Peter Limata’s joy, as well. Explaining why he has refused to take any significant break from his live Storytimes—showing up to read to kids around the world even on Christmas morning, he says: “There are many people who’ve come through and said to me, ’Oh, I just love being here with you.’ And for me, that means that they have a different voice that they can listen to, a different person they can be with for those 30 minutes. And for me, too, it is a bright spot. It really keeps me going. So as much as I’m trying to bring that energy to them, I’m getting so much energy back.”
Watch PETER LIMATA’s full Black Truth Video HERE.
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History isn’t a story, solidified in amber—something for us to simply admire or memorize. It’s context. It is the outline that allows the present to be truly visible.
From microaggressions to blatant acts of outright racism, each of our subjects has come up against the reality of trying to succeed within a white supremecist system, and, for better or worse, that has professionally shaped who and where they are today.
On May 25th, 2020, George Floyd was murdered by Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin, who handcuffed him and kneeled on his neck until he died. The brutal, 8-minute-long-video was beamed to nearly every single phone on the planet.
“There are things that Black people are sharing—they are being more vulnerable with themselves, asking for advocacy, asking for non-Black people, particularly white people to come in and do the work and to keep moving forward,” says Dr. Akilah Cadet.
Black joy is both a celebration and an act of resistance—a blowing defeat to a system that is designed to keep happiness and success just out of reach for entire communities of people. We talked to our subjects about how they find joy, how they express it, and how they share it.
After the past four years of in-your-face hate and blatant incompetence, it can be easy for those who don’t have battle of discrimination and white supremecy on a daily baisis to feel like the war has been won. But for many, it’s just another opportunity for injustices to go into hiding, and for allies to take their foot off the gas.
There is no talking about Black Truth without wading deep into the realities of racism. From the persistent sting of microaggressions to the gut punch of hate speech, each subject has a unique—but sadly familiar—story to share.
When advocacy is built in to everything you do—work, relationships, parenting—self-care isn’t an indulgence, it’s an act of survival. Our subjects reveal what keeps them sane and showing up every day—from trashy reality TV to shopping to sharing stories with others.
So where do we go from here? Can we ultimately heal the deep wounds and achieve an anti-racist future? Our subjects weigh in.