Lifting the masks to sooth the soul: Hope and healing through Black humor

• In Event: What Moves at the Margins: A Critical Discussion of Black Intellectual Thought

Abstract

This paper will discuss the ways humor serves as a pedagogical tool for critically analyzing the social and cultural conditions of Black people who have historically endured a lack of recognition when striving for American citizenship and social acceptance. Examining Black humor, that performed by Black people, embraces and celebrates the complexities of Blackness while maintaining critical hope and promoting self-care.

Author

• Erica Horhn, The University of North Carolina at Greensboro