Black Joy as Ballast this Black History Month
It’s over half-way through Black History Month, and I’ve struggled to know what to write. My mind has felt clouded with things happening to my immigrant neighbors, family needs, global politics, church work, and the stories friends trying to stay afloat in a world that devalues women. Even though I know of intersectionality and collective liberation, Black stories have not filled my imagination like they have in previous years.
This world has filled up my feed, my dreams, and our conversations with trauma, terror, and debates about dignity that should not have to happen. This year, I want to share with you some of my favorite examples of Black joy as an offering of ballast.
Merriam-Webster defines ballast as weight “placed in such a way as to improve stability and control: something that gives stability (as in character or conduct).”
May these snippets give us stability in a world that seems to be careening out of control.
The Porter’s Gate song “Happy From the Inside Out” features Emoni Wilkins, and it’s my one of my favorite morning songs. It celebrates Psalm 16 from The Message, and watching Emoni and the band is a gift.
Jon Batiste is in my opinion, one of the greatest living embodiments of Black joy and Black genius. My favorite of his songs is “FREEDOM,” and this music video is something I return to again and again when I want to see the glorious Image of God in motion and sound.
Kwame Mbalia is one of my favorite young adult authors (his Tristan Strong trilogy is a riot-filled, culture-embracing adventure series), and this anthology of 17 poems, stories, and comics are an antidote to a steady diet of Black trauma and struggle. To me, it is bearing good news to give our children, our classrooms, and our communities stories that center not just pain but promise and what should be.
I first stumbled upon Kehinde Wiley’s reimagining of historical, Biblical, and religious art in a Smithsonian Magazine, and I’ve never seen anyone else do what he does. Art & Theology did a much better job than I ever could have exploring the body of his work in this article: Christian-themed portraits by Kehinde Wiley by Victoria Emily Jones. I invite you to take your time poring over the fine art offered here and wrestling with the feelings of confusion, awe, and honor they stir within you.
Finally, I invite you to spend even a few minutes in the Museum of Black Joy and see if you are not moved. It is “a digital museum created and curated by long-time activist and artist, Andrea “Philly” Walls to serve as “a borderless refuge for the observation, cultivation, celebration and preservation of black joy.” It is set within The Black Joy Project which features art, music, the written word (particularly essays) and photographs. The Museum is interactive, and the kids and I were able to listen to the provided music while we looked a photographs from Philly. It lifted my spirits. Like Lucile Clifton said (featured on the opening page of the archive): “come celebrate with me that everyday something has tried to kill me and has failed.” —Lucille Clifton
How are you celebrating Black History Month this February (and elevating Black History the rest of the year)? What evidence of Black Joy is providing ballast for you or those you love/lead/live-among this season?
