August 2025: Joy as a Necessary Disruption to White Supremacy

There are moments when the world demands we get serious, and for many, the present moment, with rising authoritarianism and shrinking freedoms, feels like one of those times. But what if seriousness—at least the way it’s defined by systems of power—is part of the problem?

Before we answer that, you may be wondering: why is CWC, a community of white organizers committed to antiracism, talking about the current political climate—especially a group that works so hard to reach people across different ideologies? The answer? We don’t see what’s happening in the United States as a matter of party lines. We see what’s happening today as intimately entangled with white supremacy. We are seeing the use of control, hierarchy, fear, the silencing of the "other" and the standardizing of the “normal.” These are aspects of white supremacy.

We also want to be intentional about naming what we see happening because of a great conversation Tobi and Jason, both longtime CWC community members, had recently. They were talking about the monthly newsletters and Tobi provided important feedback that resonated with us:"For me, lately, the CWC prompts have been feeling a bit disconnected from the current moment, and it feels a little hollow when I read the newsletter. I love the concept of spending time considering CWC’s Elements of Antiracism Practice, and at the same time, current events feel extremely pressing and relevant to antiracism. When I come to a meeting and we actually get into conversation, we talk about the connections between that month’s Element of Antiracism Practice, and current events, but I wish those connections were being called out more explicitly in the newsletter itself." 

We deeply appreciate Tobi’s perspective and her willingness to share it with us.

So, this month, we’re diving into the next Element of Antiracism Practice—Joy—with Tobi’s feedback in mind.This article in The Tacity, invites readers to see the loud, unruly, abundant experiences of collective joy, that are often led by racially marginalized communities—singing in protest, voguing in the street, laughing until we cry—as disruption. We like the idea that in a world that wants us to be efficient, frightened, and disciplined, joy from the margins is a refusal to conform.

This thread by Billie Hoard @billieiswriting, had us feeling lots of different things, too. As she explains:

“For our (racially) privileged allies the call is not for you to make space for joy; join us in ours when you are invited but we need to see that you will stand in the way of the rocks they are throwing at us. We need your anger; your fury; your horror; your determination. There is a deep joy there too.”

So what does that mean for white people committed to anti-racism? We’re not sure and that's what we want to explore together. Here are some prompts to help focus our thoughts:

1. What has white culture taught you about “appropriate” joy? Who gets to be expressive, loud, or messy—and who doesn’t?

2. Where do you notice values of uniformity, order, and suppression of difference in your own behaviors or social environments?

3. What do you think of Billie Hoard’s perspective? Is there joy in anger, fury, horror, and determination?

4. What forms of joy or creativity can you support and engage in as a form of resistance?

5. What fears come up when you think of engaging in that kind of joy? Whose comfort is being protected?

   
   

At CWC, we believe that when white people lean into joy that is shared, creative, and outside of “the center” created by white supremacy, we actively participate in a different kind of world-building—one where antiracism is not just about dismantling, but imagining more.

Come to a gathering and let us know if you agree. And if you don’t, even better—come tell us why.

"The sharing of joy, whether physical, emotional, psychic, or intellectual, forms a bridge between the sharers which can be the basis for understanding much of what is not shared between them, and lessens the threat of their difference.” – Audre Lorde, poet and Black feminist activist