If you’ve known me for more than five minutes, you probably know that I am extremely passionate about true equality and social justice.
However, to emotionally and mentally cope with this new administration, I am going to make an extra effort to be silly, to experience joy, and to practice self-care. I don’t want anyone who sees those posts to mistake them for me being dismissive or not caring about our current state of affairs.
As Audre Lorde explains, joy gives us the “energy for change” to resist the oppressive structures and status quo that make us tired and apathetic; an exhaustive oppression that holds us back. But in the face of this paralysis, joy is an act of resistance. Communities hammered down by systemic oppression wave a giant “we will not be defeated” flag by continuing to find joy in the face of it all.
Joy isn’t turning a blind eye to pain and burying our heads in the sand. Joy is recognizing that loss, sorrow, grief, and anger all have a place alongside the temptation to just cry out, “Everything is fine,” when it’s not. Joy is an invitation to resist the status quo and lean into the pursuit of justice.