Joy is an Act of Resistance
(Inspired by Pastor Kristian A. Smith)
In a world that often feels heavy with turmoil, injustice, and uncertainty, especially for Black people, joy becomes more than just a feeling — it becomes a radical, intentional act of resistance.
Every day, headlines shout about policies that attempt to strip away rights, about rising hate crimes, about the continual erasure of Black history and voices. In a political climate that seeks to diminish Black humanity, choosing joy is a declaration: We are still here. We are still worthy. We are still whole.
For centuries, Black communities have been forced to navigate systems built to oppress them. Yet, amid that oppression, Black joy has always found a way to bloom — in music, dance, storytelling, art, faith, family gatherings, and in the simple act of laughter shared among each other. Joy has been a balm, a protest, and a form of survival.
Today, that tradition continues. When Black people gather in spaces of celebration, when they center their mental health, when they march freely at protests, when they nurture their children’s dreams, they are participating in an ancient practice of resilience. They are refusing to let systems of oppression define the fullness of their lives.
Even as chaos swirls across America. While many folks are having anxiety attacks over the new administration, Black people are learning line dances and chanting, "Where those fans at?” in a packed room, fans waving in the air, feet moving in unison, laughter bouncing off the walls. It’s not escapism — it’s affirmation. It’s medicine. It’s community healing itself in real time.
In a society that profits off Black pain, joy becomes disruptive. It interrupts the narrative that Black people must only be seen through a lens of trauma. It reclaims the narrative, painting it with colors of creativity, love, innovation, and boundless possibility.
Choosing joy does not mean ignoring injustice. It does not mean pretending that racism, inequality, or violence don’t exist. Rather, it is a way of saying: You will not steal my spirit. It is a way of nurturing the strength needed to continue fighting for a more just world.
In the midst of political chaos — of voter suppression, of book bans, of attacks on diversity initiatives, of policies that criminalize existence — Black joy reminds the world that dignity is non-negotiable.
Joy becomes a seed planted deeply in the soil of struggle, watered by community, and nourished by hope. And each moment of laughter, each dream pursued, each life lived fully in Blackness and beauty, is a flourishing act of revolution.
Joy says: We will not be erased. We will not be broken. We will love ourselves loudly, we will dream expansively, we will celebrate boldly.
Joy is not passive. Joy is powerful.
Joy is an act of resistance.
Blacklisted Saint