A local woman is creating space for African Americans to celebrate “Black Joy”.
The founder of Race and Faith, Rhonda Hill, says her work to uplift African Americans and help bridge racial divides is a calling.
"Joy is spiritual. You already have it. Like the song I used to sing in church, the world didn't give it and the world can't take it away," says Hill.
Steph Brown connected with her for a Black History special to experience the power of Hill's joyous movement.
The term Black joy has become mainstream. There are T-shirts, hashtags and songs all celebrating, claiming, and shouting that deep feeling.
"It's like an unspoken happiness and excitement, and a language and understanding, and recognition that when we're together in proximity, it's like the electricity that comes from being together or like Black oxygen, like breathing in, there's nothing like that," Hill says.
After the world responded to the killing of George Floyd, people started to examine their roles and, in some cases, the privilege of looking the other way.
Corporations released statements in support of Black lives and took deeper looks into their representation.
Protests simmered up deep wounds for African Americans, and Hill knew what she wanted to do.
Through her Race and Faith organization, she has spent over a decade raising awareness about racism to predominantly non-Black audiences.
"I'm here to uplift my people the best way that I can—I don't have all the answers, by no means—if I could just wave my hand make the world perfect for everybody, I would," Hill said.
At the time, she said she wanted to curate a space for Black Joy to thrive. That was the start of Hill's Black Joy retreats.
"It's spiritual for me, just recognizing what it means for each of us, and thinking about that, and then protecting it, doing what we can to create more opportunities for more of it," Hill added.
She says Black Joy is unconfined express of joy, rooted in spirit and anchored by hope. It's the act of resistance, the act of rest, and the act of freedom.
Hill says amid pain and struggle, Black people have always been able to collectively summon their joy.
"Because if we just had it just as one individual, and not our collective, we wouldn't have made it," Hill adds.
While studies show that not just Black Americans, but humans tie their joy to money, Hill told us in these workshops, she tries to pull out joy tied to the essence of the participants, as opposed to being tied to material goods.
"That study also shared that Black people experience the most joy when they're with their friends and family either through spiritual or religious activities or traveling," Hill responded.
Rhonda has master's degrees in marriage and family therapy and theology. She says race and faith work is what she's been called to do. And those in her joyous workshops leave filled with the impact of that calling.
"Joy is that innate thing that we don't have to think about, but certainly, I know I carry with me all the time," participant Michelle Townsend De Lopez said. "I can walk into a room and not know anyone but see a person who is of African descent and immediately we know each other, we feel each other," she added.
"To me, joy overall is just feeling safe and being free and a space. I think, Black Joy specifically means freedom to be in a space people who I can feel free with and usually that means safety," participant Yeeilianna Hamilton said.
"Joy is a choice, it's a defining choice in the midst of the odds, right in the midst of the things that tell you or reinforce this reality that 'hey, your Blackness is a mark against you,'" participant Kenwaun Flinn said. "I think Black Joy is a resilient conscious person decision to say 'hey, I have a lot to be proud of,'" Flinn added.
For more information on Rhonda Hill and her Black Joy retreats, click here.
It’s about time to watch on your time. Stream local news and weather 24/7 by searching for “TMJ4” on your device.
Available for download on Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, and more.
