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Abstract
They Got the Juice: Understanding Joy among Young Black People is a qualitative community-engaged research study that explored how young Black people (ages 7-15) define and maintain joy. This study was conducted with four young Black community co-researchers with whom the author had existing relationships. Opportunities to explore and practice that which brings joy are vital if we are to experience what Charlene Carruthers (2018) calls transformative change – change that dismantles oppressive systems and shifts power into the hands of the community. This inquiry sought to shine a light on and give voice to the stories of joy among young Black people. The significance of this inquiry lies in its micro and macro emancipatory potential of providing counter-stories about the brilliance of young Black people as well as offering an example of space-making with Black joy at the center. Young Black people deserve these spaces—they deserve the respite of space, time, and energy to realize and practice what brings fulfillment. Using a critical arts-based methodological approach, the research team (the author and four young-adult co-researchers) served as participant-researchers in a four-day, art-centered pop-up in a local neighborhood for 14 young Black people to explore, practice, and articulate what joy means to them. The pop-up included: a maker creation/creation station, a photovoice station, a jewelry/game station, and a rest and recline station. Data collection methods included observations, participant-created artifacts, and focus group questions. A multi-layered thematic analysis process produced 4 themes and 8 subthemes informed by the following critical race theory frameworks: Dillard’s (2021) framework of (re)membering, Yosso’s (2005) community cultural wealth framework, and Solórzano and Yosso’s (2002) framework on counter-stories. Findings showed that participants found joy in creation, in themselves, and in connection (interpersonal and cultural). Interdisciplinary invitations for practice and research are offered as pathways for space-making with young Black people that centers joy.