Black Joy
by Julieta Garcia, International Guitar Research Archives - August 25, 2026
For hundreds of years African Americans have experienced, and continue to experience, violence and discrimination from countless numbers of people and environments. Daily, we are shown Black bodies in sad, angering, and negative ways. In archives, for example, there are lots of historical documents such as photographs, legal documents, and other records that show the strength and survival of African American and African diaspora communities in the face of extreme challenges, and that may include terms like “graphic content” or “trigger warning” alerting researchers to their sensitive nature. This blog post steps away from that and focuses on Black joy!
In Special Collections and Archives, in the Tom and Ethel Bradley Center, there are many examples of Black joy that are seen through the lens of photographers. These photographs show wonderful scenes of Black joy, through community events, weddings, hobbies, vacations, and family gatherings. In these photographs we get small glimpses of intimate moments of hugs, laughter, and smiles. Some photographs shown here are staged, as they are portraits, but the joy is still seen in people’s faces as they are relishing moments captured by the photographer.
The following photographs are located in various collections from the Tom and Ethel Bradley Center. The Jack Davis Photography Collection consists of a variety of photographs that have been featured in various publications, some of which highlight Los Angeles’ African American community through a variety of events, portraits, and weddings. The Roland Charles Collection consists of professional photography that has been featured in various publications and museum exhibits. The photographs from the Gordon Specs Powell Photograph Collection consist of personal family photographs, events, and portraits. The Calvin Hicks Photograph Collection consists of photographs of local Los Angeles activities, in this case festivals.
Although there are no words or written documents from the people photographed in the moment, the viewer can see the joy in people’s faces from events, family gatherings, festivals, children playing, and weddings throughout each collection. Highlighting the Black community in joyous light is warranted when our society perpetually causes harm towards the community. The intention of this post is to highlight Black joy in a sea of constant negative news that the Black community faces day to day.
Image Gallery
