Vital Voices: Joy As a Radical Act

Amid life’s myriad uncertainties and losses, where do we individually and collectively find and sustain joy? What is that joy, and how does joy move beyond “happiness”? What is there about joy that affords a peace beyond resignation? Facilitated by Project Humanities Founding Director, Dr. Neal A. Lester. As a Vital Voices event, attendees are invited (but not required) to bring a piece to share—a poem, a passage, a song, a story, a photo, or other something—that connects you with Black joy in particular. Is joy racialized, gendered, classed, and aged?

Vital Voices brings together individuals and communities to “talk, listen, and connect” through literature, language, and performance in important cultural spaces around the Valley. We encourage and utilize a range of creative expression, which demonstrates the necessity and vitality of multiple perspectives on and approaches to understanding our humanity.  The uniqueness of this program is that participants get to bring a favorite quote, passage, essay, or poem about the topic to share in an evening discussion, performance, and sharing.