In celebration of Black History Month, we’ll be highlighting a diverse range of books, all written by Black American authors, all of which celebrate and prioritize Black Joy. We’ll be featuring a title every day through the month of February.
Kleaver Cruz, creator of the Black Joy project, says that “Black joy is resistance. Amplifying Black joy is not about dismissing or creating an ‘alternative’ Black narrative that ignores the realities of our collective pain; rather, it is about holding the pain and injustices we experience as Black folks around the world in tension with the joy we experience in pain’s midst. It’s about using that joy as an entry into understanding the oppressive forces we navigate through as a means to imagine and create a world free of them.”
Today’s work is Gabriella Angotti-Jones’ I Just Wanna Surf, a book of photographs that also serves as a kind of diary or memoir. Single-use cameras in hand, Angotti-Jones documents the power of water, surf and Black sisterhood in California, Mexico and beyond. Hazy and lush, these photographs feel both timeless and effervescent – her focus is always on Black woman and non-binary people surfing, and the joy and vibe that surfing can bring.
Stay tuned for a new book tomorrow!
