Black Joy: a special zine by Ayoka & 33 Carats

  • Alice Gbelia
  • Sanaa Carats
  • Nadina Ali

The same way that some people have a hard time understanding the concepts of #BlackLivesMatter or #BlackGirlMagic, some won’t understand #BlackJoy: Don’t all people deserve to feel joy? What is so specific about the type of joy felt by Black people? To answer these questions, we spoke to activists and artists who believe that Black joy is a way of resisting racism, sexism and all forms of oppression. We explored spaces designed specifically for Black people to express joy freely and unapologetically, such as the Black Joy Parade and carnivals. We came out of these encounters reinforced in our idea that Black joy is transformative and revolutionary when you dare and allow yourself to feel it. In a world that would rather share stories of Black trauma, we have decided to make this zine a beautiful celebration of Blackness. Help us share the joy by sending this zine to your friends and igniting discussions on what joy means to you, with the tag: #blackjoyzine Read the zine here: http://www.magcloud.com/webviewer/1622506?__r=1817860&s=v