We are Mapping Black Joy
The Mapping Black Joy (Healing Justice Ecosystem Building) mission is to shine a historic, present day and future bright light on Black Joy in every family, community, health care center, community gathering place, school, faith community, neighborhood, organization, barber shop, beauty shop, coffee shop, business, city, county, and state; wherever we can find it.
We understand that in order to dream and build a healed future, it is necessary to look back at the heartbreak and joy of the past and the present. This heartbreak and joy is ancestral, cosmic, physical, psychological, spiritual, other-wordly, and it also here with us. This is why Black Joy is the exact right vehicle to connect us in this healing justice ecosystem.
The Healing Justice Foundation wants to better understand unmet community needs during incidents of violence and trauma, as well as understanding the preventive programs and services for healing justice (radical self-care, mental health for the Black community). In collaboration with the Wilder Foundation and other partners, the Healing Justice Foundation intends to map the current Black mental health and healing ecosystem, including key organizations, leaders, and allies who share interests in supporting and growing the collective capacity of the ecosystem. This project will involve identifying shared needs and interests, and ways that philanthropy can engage and best support growing individual and collective capacity to respond to needs.
The Mapping Black Joy project was launched at a Minneapolis, Minnesota-based event on July 23, 2023.
Additional events will be announced.
Stay informed and join us as we map Black Joy!
You are invited to download your copy of the full Mapping Black Joy Report, below.
REPORT EXCERPT
The pandemic exacerbated issues that Black community members were facing and have been historically facing (e.g., food insecurity, air pollution, housing insecurity, and lack of wealth). In order to properly improve the quality of life of Black Minnesotans there is a need for preventative resources that remove barriers from the lives of Black community members so when a crisis occurs they are physically and mentally prepared. As the Red Cross helps Americans in times of crisis, Healing Justice Foundation strives to create a system for Black folks that emphasizes Black joy, healing justice, and black liberation. It is important to also listen to Black Minnesotans to understand what needs are unmet and the future they want in Minnesota. The findings from the Community Wisdom Conversations can help shape a healing justice ecosystem for all Black Minnesotans.
