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Photographer and community activist Thaddeus Miles wants to see more Black joy. That’s been his mission since 2019 and for the past five years he’s collaborated with the ICA Boston to celebrate Black Joy Day in September.
“Too often that narrative of Black people and about Black life is told out of the community’s focus on pain, struggle and survival,” said Miles. “And you know, while those things are true, it’s not the whole truth, right? For me, our history is filled with laughter, creativity, brilliance and love.”
Last year’s Black Joy Day event at the ICA Boston. PHOTO: LAUREN MILLER
Miles initially planned to launch a series of events celebrating joy and to capture that joy with his camera. More than 300 people attended the Black Joy Project launch at the Museum of Fine Arts in February 2020, but the pandemic shutdown changed the opportunities for community connection.
The City of Boston named September 12, 2020, Black Joy Day and Miles has been celebrating it annually ever since. He also posts photography, poems, essays and other materials related to Black joy on his website blackjoy.blog.
The event originated as a celebration of culture, connection and community and it has only grown over the years. Miles said that in previous years the celebration has included kayaking on Fort Point Channel, visiting the Children’s Museum and the ICA, crabbing, fishing, engaging with artists and much more. And that spirit of curiosity and togetherness carries on well after the event itself.
Last year’s Black Joy Day event at the ICA Boston. PHOTO: LAUREN MILLER
“It’s more than just a single event,” he said. “It’s become more of a movement. It’s inspired year-round conversations about wellness, about culture, about unity.”
A connection to Boston Harbor was important to Miles, which is why the celebration now takes place at the ICA. It allows attendees to connect with the city and the physical land and water that creates our home.
The lineup for this year’s event is being finalized, but Miles says attendees can expect live performances and DJ sets, community-based vendors, storytelling, food trucks and, of course, access to the ICA. “Portia Zvavahera: Hidden Battles / Hondo dzakavanzika,” an exhibition of the Zimbabwean artist’s work, will be on view.
Black Joy Day, which is free and open to all, takes place at the ICA Boston on September 12 from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. Miles emphasized that the event is intergenerational and family friendly.
“It reminds us all that we have the right to experience life fully, not just in survival mode, but in celebration,” said Miles. “It’s a beautiful time.”
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