What is Black Joy?

This piece originally appeared in the Indy Arts Guide Black History Month series.

What is Black Joy? Is it an act of resistance? An expression? A movement? I began a journey of uncovering the truth of these inquiries late last summer for the purpose of chronicling Black Joy in the city of Indianapolis. 

Whether it was over early morning breakfast at Tea’s Me Cafe or during a hip-hop show at Riverside Park, I’ve been moving around the city talking with Black people of all different ages and backgrounds about where and how they find joy in their lives. 

Highlights from this research include many people talking about the joy they receive being around their friends and family at events like Grapevine (an art/commerce fair held in the warmer months at Flanner House) or places like Belmont Beach (a pop-up park in Haughville). 

There was also an emphasis on movement being an integral part of a joy-filled life as evidenced by the Young at Heart dancers (a troupe of senior line dancers) and the city’s robust roller-skating culture (led by amazing skaters like Muffy Skates). 

Storytelling and the ownership of our narrative, in places like Midwest Leak magazine, the Indianapolis Recorder Newspaper and Naptown Narratives, were also brought up as avenues for joy. As John Russwurm, a forefather of the independent Black press, put it  “Too long others have spoken for us. We wish to plead our own cause.”  

What I’ve learned throughout this ongoing process is that even though the city of Indianapolis has not done enough to preserve and promote Black culture in prominent spaces and places, Black people have found ways to do it for themselves and by themselves. Black Joy is alive and well in the relationships and experiences Black people have with one another. 

Are you a Black resident of Indianapolis? Share your thoughts on Black Joy by taking this survey: https://forms.gle/LFiTi5Gn8kk9LpSf8