The Joy in Being Black & Embracing Black Joy

Happy Black History Month my ForevaBlack Family! Black History Month is so important to me, we learn our roots from generation to generation, and we are simply able to celebrate who we are. In a world that constantly tries to dim our light, there is something so powerful about Black joy. It is culture, connection, and community. Black joy is a celebration of who we are as a whole—our history, our beauty, and our amazing resilience.  

Black joy is more than just one moment of happiness: it’s a deep-rooted sensation of pride, love, and triumph in the face of dark challenges. Black joy is dancing at a family cookout, laughing until tears our in our eyes with our friends, hearing a song that brings us back to our childhood, and simply being free in places that were never meant for us to be in. As black people, we come from a generation of kings and queens, revolutionary people, and visionaries. Black joy is a constant reminder that we are not just our struggles—but we are also our victories.  

I love our Black joy and culture, and we experience it in different ways: through music, food, community, and specially fashion and beauty. In music, we have Gospel to Hip-Hop, from R&B to Jazz and it helps us tell our stories, share our wounds, and to help lift the spirits of our community. Our fashion and beauty are so beautiful—our different shades of melanin, the way our skin glows. The hairstyles we wear are very different and authentic and we’re able to pull it off, from the afro, to braids and to locs. Food is big in our culture, particularly soul food... and it isn’t just nourishment; this food is made with so much love, it comes from a great line of tradition and family. In the Black community, we share so much with each other; we do not have to know you personally to give recognition, to speak, and share love... it’s like a thing we automatically do. We’re a brotherhood and a sisterhood.  

I admire our legacy in the Black community. We have so many important people who fought for us; fought for us to be seen and heard. Slavery could not hold us down, and I am proud to see how far we have come as a whole. Although, this world is still trying to constantly pull us down and make things hard for us... we keep going, we keep pushing. A quote I love that within the Black community is, “To be young, gifted, and Black.” That quote speaks volumes! We carry our legacy every day; every time we smile, love, dream, and create. We’re honoring everyone who came before and paved the way for us.  

Remember Black joy is not something we have to earn; we were born with it. In 2025, and every year after this—let's continue to claim it, protect it, and spread it. Now in the comments, I would like for you to tell me what brings you joy as a Black person. I love you all and keep being the powerful and beautiful beings that you are!