« To take part in the Black Joy MTL movement is to commit to being involved in unifying, building and strengthening Black communities and to commit to care and show up for one another.
Black Joy is Resistance, Black Joy is Power, Black Joy is Liberation! »
— Black Koy MTL
We chose Black Joy.
The creation of the Black Joy MTL project was a response to many of our concerns. The main one: How can we as a community protect ourselves against daily attacks on our human dignity? It is physically, emotionally, mentally and spiritually exhausting to experience inequality and systemic violence every day. How can we as a community commit to being there for each other and showing up for each other? How can we also protect our energy and fight against intergenerational black fatigue?
2020 was a traumatic year, especially for the Black communities. We keep seeing unacceptable things become normalized, pushing our limits further and further. In order not to burn ourselves and to simply breathe and be, we chose joy. Cultivating our happiness to help us free ourselves from our traumas was the challenge we set for ourselves. It may seem trivial to some, but refusing to be kept in a perpetual state of anger and hatred is a survival strategy for us and was the only way to protect our mental health and ensure our well-being.
Black Joy MTL mission is to improve the well-being of the Black communities in Montreal. The movement aims to cultivate black joy and collective care by finding innovative ways to dismantle the oppressing structures.
Our purpose is to create safe and inclusive spaces where the diversity of black voices and experiences centered around black joy will be acknowledged, uplifted, and showcased.
