Ep007: Black Joy with Tracey Michae’l Lewis-Giggetts
“The next baton pass is not about, “yes, take this pain and rage and keep passing it down.” Yes, there’s work to do. Yes. There’s policy to change. Yes, absolutely. Let’s continue to stay on the necks of the people that are trying to oppress us. Absolutely. And also, breathe, drink your water, enjoy your children, dance, and create because that’s how they survived actually. And that’s how we will thrive, like that’s the next step.”
Black joy is not just a weapon of resistance, it’s a tool for resilience, and it’s possible to use joy to access healing.
In this episode, Layla Saad interviews Tracey Michae’l Lewis-Giggetts, the author of Black Joy: Stories of Resistance, Resilience, and Restoration, which has been critically acclaimed and lauded by celebrities like Kerry Washington, literary writers like Kiese Laymon and Deesha Philyaw, and media outlets like Good Morning America, Essence Magazine, and USA Today.
Black Joy is a community offering in the form of a collection of lyrical essays about the way joy has evolved, even in the midst of trauma.
Together they explore:
The role of joy in becoming a good ancestor.
How to appreciate vs appropriate and experience reading books by BIPOC authors without centering a white gaze.
Tapping into joy amidst racial violence and trauma.
Black Joy published by Simon & Schuster is our September 2022 selection in the Become A Good Ancestor book club.
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Connect with Tracey Michae’l Lewis-Giggetts
Website: @traceymlewis.com
Instagram: @tmlgwriter
Twitter: @tmlewis
Facebook: @tmlgwriter
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