Black Joy

07/26/2024

b.a.p.s summer in full effect 💅🏿

07/24/2024

"After all the work Tubman put in for this country as both a formerly enslaved person and a fierce activist, where did she finally lay roots?"

Read the latest Black Joy story about Harriet Tubman's chosen hometown of Auburn, NY and the residents working to immerse visitors into her legacy there.

https://www.reckon.news/black-joy/2024/07/uncovering-harriet-tubman-history-in-auburn-ny.html

07/17/2024

We love to share Black joy! Submit your wholesome Black joy photos for a chance to be featured on instagram and in our newsletter this summer 🌞

Be sure to include your name, city and a few sentences about the photo for the caption!

📸 Children playing in Harlem by Serge Attal (1992)
📸 Young boy dwarfed by a cue-stick on shuffleboard court in Harlem via Bettmann Archive/Getty Images (1973)

📧 [email protected]

07/16/2024

Black joy is always on the winning team! Let’s look back at a few moments of Olympic victory:

🏆 Rome 1960 - Wilma Rudolph and team set world records and Muhammad Ali wins a gold medal.

🏆 Mexico City 1968 - Tommie Smith and John Carlos raise their fists to call attention to the Black resistance movement in the United States.

🏆 Seoul 1988 - Flo Griffith-Joyner set multiple world records.

🏆 Sydney 2000 - Young Venus and Serena Williams win gold in doubles tennis.

🏆 Rio 2016 - Simone Biles distinguished herself as the best gymnast of all time.

For Paris 2024, we’re rooting for everybody Black (but especially our girl Sha’carri Richardson)!

07/13/2024

It's hard to admit you're not having a Hot Girl Summer when all your friends are soaking up the sunshine all over social media. But Reverse Seasonal Affective Disorder is rare phenomena that's been getting more attention. If your SAD strikes when it's hottest, these tips from a mental health expert might help you keep your chill.

07/10/2024

"The term hood is almost provocative for us as a Black collective to really consider how would we treasure our hoods – not just the ones that we live in, but the ones on the other side of the country." Tamela Gordon, author of "Hood Wellness: Tales of Communal Care for those who Drowned on Dry Land" chatted with Black Joy founder Starr D Journalist about her new book, the limits of self-care and the strength of community to fill in the gaps those with intersectional identities face when seeking out support. Read the full story at the link in the comments.

07/09/2024

POP QUIZ💭 Do you know how much longer Black women must work to earn the same amount as white men?

When workplaces mistreat and undervalue employees, they also underpay them. Over time, those pay discrepancies widen, especially for women, people of color and the LGBTQ+ community.

Today, July 9, is . It’s also how far into the year Black women would have to work to make the same wage as their non-hispanic male counterparts.

Financial influencers argue that paying people fairly is the key to ending wage gaps, advocating by sharing powerful tools and money resources for people to tap into.

Here are ✋🏾Black women sharing financial literacy advice and speaking truth to power
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Read the full story at the link in our bio.

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07/08/2024

07/04/2024

SOLIDARITY IS A BLACK JOB ✊🏽 We're still gonna grab our plate at the cookout cause a day off is a day off, but first let's talk about it. It's unlikely Frederick Douglass could have imagined the state of today's world when he spoke these famous words 172 years ago, but they are as relevant now as they were then. Douglass is asking how a nation can celebrate it's own independence while simultaneously denying independence to an entire people. A question that comes to mind near daily as stories of oppression from Congo, Sudan and Palestine proliferate in the news.

07/03/2024

When we ask "Are they invited to the cookout?" It implies Black folks got some authority over the occasion — and history supports our stance. Black Joy founder chatted with James Beard award-winning culinary historian about how the cookout became Black.
Quick question: what you bringing to the cookout tomorrow?

Find the link for the full story in the comments!

07/02/2024

We want to highlight your joy in our newsletter. Send us photos of your grandbabies, your well-deserved vacations, you and your new puppy — whatever's giving your life a dose of happiness right now, we want to see it! Email it to [email protected] and it may be selected for an upcoming newsletter. Be sure to include your name, location and a couple sentences for the caption.

07/02/2024

Email us your photos to be featured in an upcoming Monday edition of our newsletter — [email protected]. We want your happy grandbabies, your vacations photos, you and the new pup — if it brought you Black Joy we want to see it! Be sure to include your name, city and a few sentences about the photo for the caption 📸

07/01/2024

With it's deep roots in Southern and Black brilliance, you might could call ice cream soul food. 🤔

🍦Swipe to learn about James Hemings, Edmond Albius, Alfred Cralle and the culinarians continuing their legacies of confectionary excellence and Black joy.🍦

Produced by MacKenzie River.

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06/27/2024

While 'coming out' can be celebratory, not everyone feels connected to the practice. Black Joy reporter talked to Black q***r folks who refused the closet in a story for 🏳️‍🌈

What does a world that doesn’t demand a ‘closet’ of us look like to you? And what will it take for us to get there? 🖤

For more ✨joyful✨ Black q***r stories, head to the link in bio to sign up for our .

***rstories

06/26/2024

Before Beyoncé had 'em riled up with Cowboy Carter, The Pointer Sisters were climbing the charts and refusing to be defined. They were the first Black female group to grace the stage at the Grand Ol' Opry, and now, the remaining sister, Ruth is headed out on tour with her daughter and granddaughter to keep their fierce legacy alive. Read more on Ruth from journalist Rebekah Sager over on our website (story link in the comments).

06/25/2024

This Good Friday, lift your voice in praise of these key figures from Black choir history!

✨Dr. Eva Jessye
✨Thomas A. Dorsey
✨Rev. James Cleveland
✨The Fisk Jubilee Singers
✨The Mississippi Mass Choir

Words and slides by Sweet Corey-Bey!

06/24/2024

Move over Ariel, Demi Johnson is our new favorite underwater sensation! The teen is a National Geographic award-winning oyster conservationist from Mississippi. Read Black Joy founder Starr D Journalist's full profile of Demi to learn more about oyster gardening, the Black history behind the culinary delicacy, and why our shelled friends need saving in the first place. (We dropped the link in the comments!)

06/20/2024

Learn about why we celebrate Juneteenth from Black Joy reporter ✨

When did you learn what Juneteenth meant? Let us know in the comments!
Whether you're grilling at home or sharing libations with your community at a local park or festival, we hope your Juneteenth is filled with jubilee! 🖤

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06/19/2024

The Black Joy team was honored to be invited by Hess Stinson, founder of the , to engage the tradition of Juneteenth by launching a series reflecting on our continued struggle for liberation and the remains of slavery in Maryland’s Frederick County.

Animating the questions of kinship and legacy that this Texan holiday has brought to the mainstream, Black Joy reporter Danielle Buckingham () and Sr. Social Producer MacKenzie River Foy () visited the Catoctin Furnace African American cemetery.

This historic site is renowned not only for its 127 year-long production of iron, but for the Black ironworkers whose contribution to history was erased until the accidental uncovering of Catoctin’s African American cemetery in the 1970s.

Read more about our journey to visit the cemetery and record oral histories with descendants of chattel slavery at the .

06/17/2024

Although Black women have a 4% lower incidence rate of breast cancer than white women, they have a 40% higher fatality rate from the illness. The American Cancer Society () is trying to understand why.

VOICES of Black Women is a study aiming to enroll at least 100,000 Black women between the ages of 25 and 55 in select states across the United States. Participants will answer a health history survey twice annually for 30 years, as principal investigators like Dr. Lauren McCullough try to understand why outcomes for Black women with cancer are so dire - even among Black women from higher socioeconomic strata.

Head to the to learn more and see if you’re eligible to register.

06/17/2024

Meet Quanna Bolden (), leader of the cookout taking the nation by storm this summer.

Black Joy reporter sat down with Bolden to discuss her upbringing in Savannah, GA and how its shaped her drive to bring Black women and femmes together to “just be - flaws and all.” Read all about it and find a cookout near you at the !

06/07/2024

Happy birthday to meme king, multi-hyphenate and artist rights advocate Prince. What's your favorite jam by The Purple One? 💜

06/06/2024

We know y'all not still mad at Geminis...not after the early summer season gave us all this greatness!

Black Joy recognizes talent, heart and adaptability when we see it. May this Gemini season bless you with excitement, evolution and curiosity! 🌻🖤✨

Shout out your favorite gemini in the comments below 👇🏿

06/05/2024

Here’s your annual African American Music Appreciation and LGBTQ Pride Month crossover!

There’s no better way to kick off summer than celebrating the Black community’s music-making q***r icons. And may the artists of tomorrow continue their legacy of bold exploration, technical excellence, radical imagination and good taste 🖤

Join the Black Joy newsletter to read more stories aout Black q***r music, joy and culture this summer.

06/05/2024

Beyoncé uplifting country music’s Black roots on Cowboy Carter. Janelle Monáe headlining Indy’s I Made Rock ‘n’ Roll Festival.

Black artists are making it known that we are the originators of your favorite music genres — American music IS Black music, so join Black Joy in celebrating the elders of American music.

05/31/2024

After decades of criminalization, a recent wave of reforms has put cannabis on track to become a 70 billion dollar industry by 2028 - and also an 81% white one.

These three women are part of a movement to reclaim cannabis for Black and POC communities, who for years have been disproportionately harassed and incarcerated for ma*****na related crimes in the wake of the war on drugs.

💚 Jasmine Mans ()
💚 Vic Styles ()
💚 Solonje Burnett ()

#420

05/20/2024

Looking for summer camps? We've got you covered. If your kids are looking for adventure, new skills, or lasting friendships, check out these awesome summer camps centering Black youth.

Want to help? Donate or volunteer your time. Swipe left for the full list and camp details.

05/19/2024

, revolutionary writer, human rights activist and minister, Malcolm X, was born in Omaha, Neb.

On his birthday, we reflect on some of the wisdom he shared with us. What's your favorite Malcolm X quote? 🤔

05/16/2024

Hibiscus sabdariffa, a species in the hibiscus family of flowers, is popular in Western Africa, Central and South America and the Caribbean. The antioxidant rich flower can be taken as a tea, powder or extract for medicinal purposes.

Keep in mind: Dietitians recommend that you enjoy the health benefits of hibiscus in moderation - more than 4 cups a day can cause toxicity. Avoid this drink during pregnancy, breastfeeding, or before surgery, as its blood pressure lowering effect can be dangerous.

05/15/2024

May is Haitian Heritage Month! 🇭🇹

Black Joy is celebrating everyone who fought (and continues to fight) for the freedom of the first independent Black republic.

Which notable Haitians would you want folks need to learn more about? Let us know in the comments below!