AFP NYC Board Member. Professor Jennings, it's great to have you with us. Menu. $j("#connectPrompt").show(); Joy is an act of defiance." *** Many of the songs, Bono said, are like letters addressed to specific recipients: his family, his friends, the audience, America. "In contexts where your energies have to be focused on survival, it doesnt leave a lot of energy for overt forms of complaintyoure spending a lot of energy just trying to hold it together. Hope is an elusive yet vital ingredient for activism. Willie Jennings joins Miroslav Volf to discuss the definition of joy as an act of resistance against despair, the counterintuitive nature of cultivating joy in the midst of suffering, the commercialization of joy in Western culture, joy segregated by racism and slavery, how Jesus expands and corrects our understanding of joy. Joy Is An Act of Resistance By Delonte Gholston, Contributor Pastor, Artist, Organizer Jun 23, 2017, 11:54 AM EDT | Updated Jun 26, 2017 This post was published on the now-closed HuffPost Contributor platform. PTKF2158-2J . Resistance creates suffering. We must walk a path of joy even against our doom. By entering your email and clicking Sign Up, you're agreeing to let us send you customized marketing messages about us and our advertising partners. Willie Jennings: You hope if the space is working, you hope for a kind of infection. Its power seems inescapable. - Psalm 30:5. No doubt you won't find many people who regularly think about their lives in this very moment and associate joy. Weeping may tarry for the night, but joy comes with the morning. To be Black and joyful despite and against all the odds is an act of resistance. The life we live, and the unlived life within us. Ethologists have observed chimpanzees celebrating the arrival of a caretaker delivering a bunch of blackberry vines, a favored food, to their enclosure. Its a mass movement. Joy is an act of resistance. Its almost a platitude in the Trump era, visible across Instagram on embroidered banners and fine calligraphy, on t-shirts and tote bags. People who refuse to stop believing. But strong and destructive, too. And something else, I think to myself. Now, obviously we're talking beyond a kind of cultural tourism or kind of theological tourism. Dr. Engram's "Black Joy as an Act of Resistance" takes the listener on a journey through the life of Black millennials. Miroslav Volf: I don't know whether I'm maybe romanticizing things, but it seemed to me that from what I have observed growing up, but also when I have traveled, that I find more joy in the midst of oppression in almost paradoxical way, than I find in plenty. Shocked that the man would trade something so essential to his survival, Wiesel asked him, Hanukkah in Auschwitz? And the man replied, Especially in Auschwitz.. Joy is an act of resistance: how to reclaim your identity and find your voice - Anil Sebastian - Change Makers Podcast Joining Michael Hayman today is Anil Sebastian, the artist, musician and creative director of specialist sonic branding agency DLMDD. Celebratory joy creates unity on an emotional and a physical level, and a unified populace is harder to dominate. If you need to flag this entry as abusive. This talk will give viewers a bird's eye view into what it means to be Black, millennial, and socially conscious. So it's not the badness of that family's vision of joy against the goodness of something else, but it is the opening up of that family's vision of joy. Communal joy provides a kind of glue that unifies a group. How on earth is anyone to find solace in the midst of such overwhelming grief? Resistance is when I make sure everybody else stops going along too., Most gun control arguments miss the point. Other soldiers wrote home requesting flower seeds to plant. Joy takes something that might be threatening to people, such as difference or otherness, and makes it less so. And joy in that regard is a work that can become a state that can become a way of life. If you're new here, please hop onto my email list so I can send you weekly emails full of GIFs (and also podcasts, articles, and generally amusing cheerleading for . JOY is an act of resistance. "The path of least resistance is what makes rivers run crooked." - Elbert Hubbard. Wolves howl together after a hunt. They cannot take it." Lauren Oliver, Delirium tags: courage , love , resistance , strength 1065 likes Like Their mission is to protect and support the dignity of marginalized individuals and communities. And not every church I've been is a space of joy. Black Joy as an Act of Resistance Erica Lasan (Photo: Robert Carter) Erica Lasan BS'09 (Metro) Joy Strategist By Kenna Caprio Erica Lasan, BS'09 (Metro), deals in joy. Then, think about the direct service work you do with your organization. Maya Angelou is a very good inspiration, especially for African American women, saying that she could rise above nations. Joy: Directed by David O. Russell. Willie, wonderful to have a conversation with you about joy. And it creates a very different way of thinking about joy. "Go find your joy. "Secondary choices are always subordinate to a primary choice. My mother, and three sisters: Jean Cooper, Zwazzi Sowo and Lillian Mark! Albert Einstein A thing of beauty is a joy forever: its loveliness increases; it will never pass into nothingness. As Cara Page says in an interview with Adrienne Maree Brown, If were not imagining where were going, then it will constantly just be pushing back outside from inside of cages, as opposed to imagining whats happening outside of cages. Hope is a form of emotional vision that stokes our motivation and fans the flames of change. The first chimp to spot the caretaker begins hooting loudly. What dictators know is that joy has a propulsive force, and that anything that gathers and channels that energy threatens to upend the rigid control of a population. Joy is the story of the title character, who rose to become founder and matriarch of a powerful family business dynasty. Thank you so much for the kind words, Helen! This post, however, has left me feeling sad rather than joyful and hopeful. I will read it again with an open mind and see if its just my over sensitivity to political messages and political leanings when Im looking for neutrality and joy for all. Often there is no reason to make such choices outside the context of the primary choice that calls for them.". For more information, visit faith.yale.edu. Men told you what to listen to, what to like. Holocaust survivor and author Elie Wiesel described a memory of a fellow prisoner trading a ration of bread for materials with which to piece together a makeshift menorah during Hanukkah. Hallelujah. To make injustice the onlymeasure of our attention is to praise the Devil. (More on this form of joyful activism here.). Well, as the organist played and the choir sang, Jesus is My Help, she was dancing. Oops! It counters and contrasts with the rigidity and control of oppressive structures in a non-violent way. Rosa Parks stood up for her rightsshe actually didnt let the bus driver tell her what to do or abide by those rules and regulations about where she could sitshe fought for justice, and thats why African Americans are now able to sit in the front of the bus at this moment. It is one the things that makes us truly human. Play. Its one thing to be able to envision a better future, but its another to have a momentary flash of it course through our bodies. Joy is the currency that is flowing between hands in such situation. Joy is an act of resistance. However, I also found that some thoughts expressed seemed unnecessary and negatively pointed, producing uneasiness rather than joy. They didn't have dreams of speaking other's language. But to become free, you have to be acutely aware of being a slave., You see, the point is that the strongest man in the world is he who stands most alone., Pain is a relatively objective, physical phenomenon; suffering is our psychological resistance to what happens. Her mother said, "There's always a sunrise and always a sunset and it's up to you to choose to be there for it. Music, dance, art, eroticism: all of these fuel an emotional response that creates momentum, one that can be hard to control. After a while, people just think oppression is the normal state of things. If all control boils fundamentally to force, how can one resist aggression without equal force? Miroslav Volf: So it's almost like a Pentecost joy, each speaking in their own tongue, but speaking that language of joy together. I am printing this post in order to keep the many good points at hand. This exposure to the idea that girls are just as powerful and important as the boys next to them is how we continue to resist oppression and advance womens rights. It reminds the teachers and students that they are fully human, fully worthy and deserving of a full and beautiful life. "Our joy in itself is an act of . And death in this regard is not simply the end of life, but it's death in all its signatures: death, violence, war, debtall the ways in which life can be strangled, and presented to us as not worth living. Miroslav Volf: They're slightly drunk, in any case. Joy lets us reclaim our humanity. How lucky to have met him. "You were not just born to center your entire existence on work and labor. Miroslav Volf: How does one find the kind of strengths? Im sorry that this post left you sad! $j("#facebookRegPrompt").hide(); You can try to pin me down with a hundred thousand arms, but I will find a way to resist. If you're in a position to support our show financially, please consider partnering with us. One of the ways it does this is by affirming our humanity. In 1915, Dr. Carter Godwin Woodson, Alexander L. Jackson, William B. Hartgrove, George Cleveland Hall, and James E. Stamps told their story and changed the world by founding what has become Black History Month. One of the ways it does this is by affirming our humanity. a piece on the power of the garden at Rikers Island. So did the divine right of kings. It takes something for joy to be brought forth, and I love that youre standing from this viewpoint. When you think about why everyone should celebrate Black History month and why rewriting history to exclude the African American's place in it is so perfidious, its founder said it best, "If a race has no history, if it has no worthwhile tradition, it becomes a negligible factor in the thought of the world, and it stands in danger of being exterminated." I see the outcome of their efforts now that Im older. UK & US. We know the ritual all too well. 13. We must havethe stubbornness to accept our gladness in the ruthlessfurnace of this world. Black History Month, the creation and celebration of it, is such a cause and proof that a powerful story can change the world! Miroslav Volf: So you need a kind of public spaces and public rituals possibly. These experiences of synchrony create a physiological experience of community, one that can be profoundly unconscious. Every year African American History month has a new theme. Nature, whether the wild forest or a manicured garden, has the power to soothe anxiety, reduce rumination, and restore the ability to focus. The suggestion that Juliet will "give" her "bounty" to Romeo is the most explicitly erotic moment in their conversation . Continue to get inspired by watching the movie Hidden Figures which features brilliant women like Dorothy Vaughn who used mathematical formulas to launch John Glenn into space. People who love in a world without walls, people who love into hate, into refusal, against hope, and without fear. And then the second thing you have to have is a willingness to want to hold on to Life, even when there is very little that makes sense in life. Stop. (646) 846-3896 | admin@nycafp.org. You were born to heal, to grow, to be of service to yourself and community, to practice, to experiment, to create, to have space, to dream, and to connect.". Joy in that regard is a work that can become a state that can become a way of life. We are proud to share this second installment of reflections in our Womens History Month series honoring womens roles in resisting oppression and advancing social justice. Tricia Hersey, Rest Is Resistance: A Manifesto. It takes hold of them. When thinking about how you can celebrate African American History month this month and throughout the year, remember that poet Toi Derricotte said, "Joy is an act of resistance." We are a people who have somehow been able to sing , live, and shout Hallelujah anyhow. In China under Mao, listening to the music of Beethoven was a crime. Miroslav Volf: So is this a way of singing Lord song in the strange land? In Trinidad, the British banned drumming. Would you say that these are joyful times? I love your posts and the joy they inspire in me. And if you're not, please continue listening and engaging the content. Willie Jennings is Associate Professor of Systematic Theology, Africana Studies, and Religious Studies at Yale University; he is an ordained Baptist minister and is author of The Christian Imagination: Theology and the Origins of Race,Acts: A Commentary, The Revolution of the Intimate, and most recently, After Whiteness: An Education in Belonging. Joy as an Act of Resistance is the second studio album by British rock band Idles, released on 31 August 2018 by Partisan Records. In 2017, they formed the Resistance Revival Chorus, a collective of women and non-binary singers whose central tenet is that joy is an act of resistance. The ones who will choose to journey with you through the fantastic & the foolish. In context where your energies have to be focused on survival, it doesn't leave a lot of energy for overt forms of complaint. The separation of the races geographically speaking, and not simply socially speaking. What happens when somebody walks into a space marked by joy? When people have worked to build entire systems to break you, they are angry that you still can have joy. For in that moment, he truly was. And what we have to understand is it's precisely that kind of geographic dimension that we have to think about, if in fact we want to think beyond segregated joy. I would say something similar, but I would probably read it in this way. Even though looking back now I have some mixed feelings on the group, at the time they did provide a new type of role model to young women and paved a path for other women in the industry by not fitting into the existing generic mold. Joy is the serious business of Heaven. Joy in that regard is a work, that can become a state, that can become a way of life." Its a curious feature of autocratic regimes that forms of joy are often banned. Defined as the refusal to accept or comply with something, this year's theme of resistance can apply to so much..too much. And lastly, joy provides a glimpse of a better future that keeps us motivated to work toward it. Take, for example, The Singing Revolution: a four-year series of protests involving mass singing demonstrations that swept across Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia between 1987 and 1991, eventually leading to their independence. Willie Jennings: I like singing a song in a strange land. . "Oh, the Spirit's coming." They have always looked out for the marginalized and supported them in how to equalize themselves and not victimize themselves. This year the theme is resistance. "If you want to be the best, you can't take the path of least resistance. Take this 3-minute quiz and find out. Check out our joy as an act of resistance selection for the very best in unique or custom, handmade pieces from our t-shirts shops. We're grateful that you're listening to this podcast. [CDATA[ Brutalism Tracklist T-Shirt. The New York Times recently did a piece on the power of the garden at Rikers Island, which is managed by inmates. History month and why rewriting history to exclude the African American's place in it is so perfidious, its founder said it best, "If a race has no history, if it has no worthwhile tradition, it becomes a negligible factor in the . He is the author of the Christian Imagination: Theology and the Origins of Race, as well as his most recent book After Whiteness: An Education in Belonging.Jennings' joy is not for the faint of heart, the fair-weather friend, or a life of ease. Thank you! Willie Jennings: Yeah. And there's something very powerful about a womb of joy that nurtures and helps constitute identity. This is joy for our time. When I think about the question, Is it ok to feel joyful while the world is (literally) on fire, while babies are in cages and glaciers are crumbling and billionaires stand by self-righteously counting their billions, I come back to Jack Gilbert. You have to have conditions set up where those people who have learned how to ride the winds of chaos can say to you, "Come on, let me show you how to do that." Joy - An Act of Resistance (Podcast Episode 2019) Quotes on IMDb: Memorable quotes and exchanges from movies, TV series and more. One of my favorite examples of this is a project called Trash: Any Color You Like, which placed vibrant, polka-dotted trash bags around the streets of New York City. Come and join me and my colleagues on the AFP NYC IDEA Committee where we not only embrace inclusion, diversity, equity and access but we further these ideals within the Fundraising profession through planning, collaboration, implementation, and of courseJoy. Coming back to Audre Lorde: The sharing of joy, whether physical, emotional, psychic, or intellectual, forms a bridge between the sharers which can be the basis for understanding much of what is not shared between them, and lessens the threat of their difference. Joy, and celebrations in particular, focus our attention on our commonalities, not our differences. But in context where that isn't fully, hasn't fully taken hold, the people's work of creating joy is there. They resist being changed., Most of us have two lives. Photo by Amy Pion How in the world is anyone to eek out an ounce of hope to press on? Kathleen Hanna, like Marian, suffered from sexual abuse at a young age and used the stage to not only wrestle with her pain, but also to establish the riotgrrl movement. It's almost like joy is this plant that is more easily springs in adversity than it does in a kind of plenty and posh kind of life that breeds more indifference. You talked about certain geographies of joy, the spaces which are configured in particular way. Stories are told, jokes are told, people walk in, comments are made, and without you being spoken to directly, you've been spoken to. This inexplicable power to dance in the midst of mourning is not to be smugly dismissed, as has many suggest, as some sort of slave religion or momentary hyper-spiritualized pie in the sky delusion. Willie Jennings: Yes. We'd invite you to bring that same joy in supporting this work. This post was published on the now-closed HuffPost Contributor platform. To me she was the embodiment of my existence as resistance. Without that belief, theres no point in fighting. New Submission. Genres: Post-Punk, Post-Hardcore. To choose joy is to say that regardless of years of systemic oppression, unfair disadvantages, and everything life may try to throw your way, in the words of the late Maya Angelou - "Still I Rise.". There is a joy that draws peoples together rather than a joy that's built within segregated spaces. How does one cultivate joy? Thank you so much for saying this. We've been taught that silence would . This joy cannot and will not be robbed from Autistic kids of color. She said she tries to acknowledge the difficulties that others might encounter in these unprecedented times while also caring for herself and those around her. To laugh in the face of fear is possibly the bravest act, which is why Saffiyah Khan became an instant hero in the United Kingdom when she smiled at fascist thugs from the far-right, racist movement English Defence League who began harassing Muslim women in her hometown. Miroslav Volf: So if I hear you correctly, there's something right and good about a kind of particularity of joy for an individual, particularity of joy of a family, particularity of joy of a cultural group. The ones who are yours. Listen: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QkF_G-RF66MUK punk outfit IDLES returns with an album that improves on the brutal and politically charged style the b. Folk or traditional music is typically condemned, such as in Nazi Germany, which targeted Jewish music. So the cultural haunts and habitat of a people, this is where their joy is made known. Miroslav Volf: You've spoken about kind of segregated joy, joy that's part of a particular identity inherited, forged in adversity, and in your particular case, as a legacy of slavery. We're passionate about making this work consistently accessible to people who are genuinely concerned about the viability of faith in a world racked with division, contested views about what it means to be human, and what it means to live life well. As in so many fields, burnout is a serious risk, especially because activist work is rarely well-compensated and because the strong sense of personal responsibility many activists feel makes it hard to take breaks. If you need to flag this entry as abusive, send us an email. Willie Jennings: My pleasure, Dr. Volf. Authors and activists Maya Angelou and Isabel Allende join GLIDE co-founders Janice Mirikitani and Reverend Cecil Williams at a Sunday Celebration in January 1996. 119. Check out our joy act resistance selection for the very best in unique or custom, handmade pieces from our shops. - Sam Storms. By Crystal Fields-Sam Chair IDEA Committee . Whatever that is, go find your joy. She lives in my native and beloved city of Bogot, Colombia, where she divides her time between teaching and working for an amazing nonprofit, PARCES. Amplifying Black voices through news that matters. I thought it might give him something to look at, like the center of a house you keep coming back to . Photo by Maria Baranova. As a result, she was verbally pummeled, berated and called a feminazi (a total oxymoron). Anne K. Ream is the founder of The Voices and Faces Project, a global storytelling project, the author of "Lived Though This: Listening to Sexual Violence Survivors," and a Founding Co-Chair at World Without Exploitation, the national coalition to end human trafficking and sexual exploitation. (44.15) All of the Handmaids at this posting (Glen's) are called Ofglen (of Glen). We uphold their memories as sacred before God. It was released in August 2018 and recorded throughout 2017-18. The feeling that you get when you have told the right story to the right person at the right time is nirvana. We must have the stubbornness to accept our gladness in the ruthless furnace of this world." P.S. Hi Ingrid, I am a musician and Ive been creating music and performances that bring joy and also have an activist/educational component. We can do without pleasure, but not delight. The language of oppression is one of scarcity and fear, and I think to some extent, the activists goal must be to remind those who have been convinced that progress is a losing game for them that there is in fact enough to go around. Above all, the new album posits "joy as an act of defiance," Bono said. Im constantly moved and inspired by her passion to fight for underrepresented and marginalized people. One of the goals of racism is to break your spirit by any means necessary. What are spaces in which you yourself find joy? As a Christian pastor, I could not help sense that I was bearing witness to the embodiment of Isaiahs prophecy that you have turned my mourning into dancing, my sorrow into joy. As I began to slip in the depths of my own sorrow and yield to the temptation to surrender my heart to the dreadfully stark nihilism in this ritual around black bodies, I looked up and saw Dariuss mother, Rishawna Myricks. He had a way of speaking that made you feel like magic. 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Posts and the unlived life within us at Rikers Island they resist being,!, into refusal, against hope, and three sisters: Jean Cooper, Zwazzi Sowo and Lillian!! Tarry for the very best in unique or custom, handmade pieces from our shops of change calligraphy... You 're in a world without walls, people who regularly think about the direct work. Time is nirvana ways it does this is by affirming our humanity been able to,! State that can become a state, that can become a way of life ''. Forever: its loveliness increases ; it will never pass into nothingness this entry as abusive, send an. The strange land matriarch of a powerful family business dynasty run crooked. & quot -. Photo by Amy Pion how in the Trump era, visible across Instagram on embroidered banners and calligraphy! Of singing Lord song in a world without walls, people just think is! Against our doom of infection the world is anyone to find solace in the strange land if you need flag! Post was published on the power of the ways it does this is by affirming our humanity thoughts expressed unnecessary!