What Is Black Joy, and How Is It Connected to Juneteenth?

June 19 commemorates the end of slavery in the U.S., but for many, it’s also a celebration of Black history, culture, and joy. Photo courtesy of Everyday Health; Getty Images; iStock.

Nearly a decade ago, between 2013 and 2014, the most recent stage in Black liberation began with the Black Lives Matter hashtag, network, and movement — often mistakenly thought to center on the community seeking justice for Black men who were killed at the hands of police and state-sanctioned violence.

Though this community is a significant part of the movement, Black Lives Matter has intersected a multitude of Black identities and lived experiences while bringing visibility to generations-long trauma and pain Black people have faced because of systemic racism.

Resilience, resistance, and perseverance have been focal points of Black liberation, but there’s a more positive side, too: Black liberation is about Black folk experiencing joy. As influential “joymakers” put it, Black people have always experienced joy, even long before a more recent visible movement started highlighting joy online and IRL (in real life).