The BLM Foundation mission states that we are re-imagining the present and investing in the future of Black lives. To do that, we must focus on the intangibles that create our future. One of those intangibles is joy. Black communities the world over have deeply unique understandings and expressions of joy and culture. As an organization that aims to re-imagine the future, we must intentionally carve out a lane that centers joy as we move forward.
BLM Foundation understands we must advance Black Lives in more ways than one. We fight against injustice and we work to create the full expression of Black life. The Joy Experience is one way we support that positive expression.
The One Music Festival in Atlanta, GA has become a destination festival, attracting over 50,000+ diverse music lovers from all over the nation. The focus of the 2022 festival was joy. With an entire stage dedicated to the experience and expression of joy, the festival organizers were beyond excited to collaborate with BLM Foundation to create one of our Joy Experience stations. We constructed a 30×30 physical art installation designed as an adult playground. Guests spent the day lounging, swinging, and enjoying other play-based activities. This Joy Experience installation was a collaboration with three prominent black artists: Mr. Legacy of LegacyHistoryPride, pierre bennu, a legendary multi-hyphenate artist based in Baltimore, Maryland and visual storyteller Eza Naylor.
The Joy Experience is a refuge space, where healing thrives, laughter echoes, and the expressions of our unified identities form a bridge between generations. We are weaving a collective tapestry that envisions a future grounded in joy, where joy becomes our conduit to liberation, both personally and communally.
