The first edition of Black Joy Archive was created in the summer of 2020 — an urgent call amidst the global racial reckoning of 2020; asking contributors to reflect on their past histories, stories and personal archives. The second volume of this project was released the summer of 2022, contributors then reflecting on what their “Black joy” meant to them now; entrenched in a consumer American landscape that has transformed this term into low-hanging fruit easily co-opted to signal performative allyship. The third volume of this project is simple— how will your black joy persevere into our future unknown? As we enter a new geo-political age that threatens the livelihoods of many, we wonder — what are the methods, objects, knowledge and traditions our communities have held onto and practiced in the face of uncertain pathways forward? And in what ways are these methods lighting the path into the vast unknown? More importantly— how can we ensure that our global communities will indeed, persist?Features visual, written and archival work by 60 contributors.180 pages5 x 8 inchesPerfect boundDigital printing2025 *Color will be chosen at random
