A Black Joy Primer

I remember standing in the middle of my grandmother’s church, the air thick with the scent of peppermints and perfume. It was Women’s Day. The lead soloist on a song couldn't sing, and suddenly, the director’s eyes landed on me.

I didn’t have time to be nervous; I only had time to be ready. When I opened my mouth to take that solo, it wasn’t just a song—it was a release. My choir was a wall of sound behind me, catching every note, pushing me higher. I don’t know what the recording sounded like, but I know how it felt: Exhilarating. At that moment, we were building a "sacred technology" of sound, a monument bigger than any of us alone.

This is the essence of Black Joy: Strategy, Resistance, and Healing by Tracey Michae’l Lewis-Giggetts. Black Joy is an "ancestral mandate" that allows us to hold the duality of grief and celebration simultaneously.

In a clinical setting, we often distinguish joy from happiness. Happiness is often based on external "happenings." Black Joy, however, is a constant undercurrent—a "weapon" for resistance and a "resource" for resilience. It is the resolve to stay united, to "draw heat" by joining in space, and to use our collective voices to say "love" or "stop" with a song. This joy belongs to the African Diaspora—those navigating the monsoons of systemic pressure.

Joy as Resistance: The Strategy of Excellence

Resistance isn't always a protest; sometimes, it’s the refusal to be defined by a single narrative of struggle. Consider Chief Pamela Smith in Washington, D.C. In the face of scrutiny, she maintained her authentic version of dignity and grace, and defiantly forgave the systems that “questioned my integrity.” Like Chief Smith, when we name and gracefully maneuver around oppression to maintain our dignity, we are claiming our sovereign right to be our best selves. healing the harm in our historic blood. We are in those moments, the realized dreams of our ancestors.

"Joy is a biological necessity. In our next post, How to Practice Joy, we’ll explore how it acts as an antidote to the physical 'weathering' of the Black body."

Have you found your "solo" moment this week? Share a moment where you felt exhilarated and supported by your "choir."

Discover the Who, What, and Why of Black Joy. Explore how joy serves as a radical act of resistance and a clinical tool for healing with Be True Counseling.

#BlackJoy #MentalHealthEquity #Resistance #BeTrueCounseling #Healing