In the center of a circle of his Grizzlies’ teammates, Jaren Jackson Jr. is serving as the hype man before the game. He and his teammates are rhythmically dancing and moving and jumping and vibing and laughing. It’s both a celebration and a call-and-response. It’s a pregame ritual that exudes youthful, hopeful, unbridled joy. That joy is a resilient joy — a joy that defies circumstances. A joy that’s bigger than life. A joy sometimes hidden in the shadows. Ridiculed by the world. Scarred by history. Mocked by society. Forged in ships. Built on fields. Sung on stages. Danced in churches. Marched in the White House. And buzzing in FedExForum. This joy is Black joy— and it is a resilient joy.
Brevin Knight turns to Pete Pranica at the end of the broadcast, the Grizzlies having just won their sixth straight game, and says something like this, “Partner, it’s fun to watch these guys compete every night. They’re having fun. They like each other and are fun to be around. Winning is fun.”
Pranica agrees, as do most of the other sports commentators in Memphis, that this Grizzlies team is special and uniquely fun to watch. And they are. I have not been this invested in the Grizzlies since Z-Bo declared we were a “blue collar town” and he a “blue collar player.” Now, these Next Gen Grizzlies have infused this city once again with Grizz Mania, an elated state of enthusiasm, pride, and community.
For me it’s bigger than basketball; it is the feeling I get when I see these players win, support, and laugh with each other. It’s big. It’s vibrant. It’s alive. It’s joy.
Joy is contagious. And joy, like one’s humanity, can be trampled and beat down and walked over, but it can never truly be lost. It’s resilient at its core.
And Black joy, because of its history, is a miracle.
But for the miracle to fully be embraced, we have to embrace the history that tried to bulldoze and bury that joy. A history that many are protesting the existence of in school curriculums and classrooms.
Black History Month gives us the opportunity to celebrate the lives of our approved curriculum heroes. Yet while we celebrate, history continues to present itself as current events. Injustices continue to be carried out. Systems continue to oppress. Opportunities cease to present themselves. Lives continue to abruptly end.
Some parents do not want their kids to know the painful foundation upon which this country was built. Maya Angelou once said, “Do the best you can until you know better. Then when you know better, do better.” We have to truly know to truly do better.
Let’s not continue to stymie our growth as a nation by not owning up to our past. It’s not a pretty past. It’s not. But the story does not have to end there. We are writing a chapter in American History 201 right now. What will this chapter say? Or will it have to be taken out of the textbooks as well? Or will it speak of miraculous healing, atonement, love, and joy?
How resilient is a joy that knows no boundaries? A joy that is as free as any other. A joy no longer bound by a damning history. A joy celebrated. A joy redeemed from the dark. A joy given breath. A joy given wings. A joy taking flight.
A Ja taking flight.
This Grizzlies team represents the future. Winning is fun. It’s more fun for everyone, with everyone. The joy is contagious. And the glimpses we see courtside at a Grizzlies game are nothing compared to what could be if more young Black men and women had opportunities to showcase their talent and tenacity, creativity and courage, hustle and humility. Grit and grind. The FedExForum pales in comparison to the world’s arena.
Let’s build a bigger arena. On display — the resiliency of Black joy.
Kristen Smith is a Memphis-based writer and storyteller passionate about the transformative power of words for healing and joy.
