They Got the Juice: Lessons on Joy From Young Black People

• In Event: Black Power, Black Freedom Dreams, and Black Joy in Community Schools

Abstract

As a Black educator, I appreciate and seek opportunities to find and nurture imagination in Black children–generating new ideas and the giddiness that comes with bringing their imaginary visions to life. Javon Johnson (2015) defines this kind of imagining as Black joy. My inquiry centered around the following questions: 1) How do young Black people (ages 14-18) define and maintain joy? and 2) What lessons can young Black people teach about joy in educational and otherwise spaces?

Author

• Erica Wrencher, University of North Carolina - Greensboro