Joy is Resistance
Aug 31, 2026
Through good times and bad, the highs and lows, joy peaks through like the sun after the rain. It’s something that has kept people going even when times were uncertain. Joy is something the Black community has relied on for decades. It’s the only thing outside of knowledge that no one can take away. Oftentimes I wonder how we find joy in times when we should be serious and focusing on the task at hand. Even when unarmed Black people are being killed in the streets of America, to the injustice we face daily, or when something tragic happens in our personal lives. Somehow, some way, we are going to laugh and joke our way through.
I often think that Black people have this superpower that only we can understand. No matter what's going on or where we are, we will find joy. Something we must all realize is that joy and chaos can coexist. We're human, and sometimes you have to laugh to keep from crying. The United States is in a very dark place right now. We can argue it’s been in a dark place for more than a decade. However, the darkness is much more prevalent. The racial tension is thick, hate lives on, and so do Black people. The joy in the midst of it all is what most can’t fathom. They can’t understand how a group of people and a community that’s been through so much is so resilient. Truth is, it’s in our DNA; it’s something that can’t be taught.
We must remind ourselves and each other of who we are. Joy is something we must be in constant pursuit of. Joy in the good times, the small victories, the sad times, and the uncertainty- joy must be carried. Resistance is an act of love, even when we must fight and push our way through, even when everything that has been put in place for us to lose, we are resilient, and that can only come from within. Joy is truly an act of resistance, and resistance is an act of love. You must choose joy every day and find the joy in everything.
