Celebrating Black Joy

"I strive for my work to be as authentic to Black culture as possible. I use my work to combat stereotypes as well as celebrate Black lives. I hope to show that Black people are not monolithic. To show all the individual personalities under the umbrella of "Black people". Juneteenth is about unity. Seeing all the different shades of Black people come together to just celebrate each other. It's a beautiful thing to see. So much Black pride. So much love. It's truly heartwarming. "

Chris Facey

"Breastfeeding, teaching, using time and space to listen, creating, cooking , emotional intelligence, nurturing, loving ourselves in our black bodies and learning of life together is something taken seriously in our household and greatly cherished as many before us and even many now do not have the opportunity to carry on or even explore at all in their lifetime. To know that natural, important and personal aspects of life were taken away from my ancestors, exploring life with my daughter or even laughter makes me feel even more grateful for the joy we try to bring to ourselves each day. These images capture some of the things and moments my daughter and I do our best to carry out on a day to day basis to keep joy flowing all around. To continue moving forward as we grow in ways our ancestors did not have the opportunity to do. Play, hugs, laughter, baking, healing—we celebrate who we are as we are and wish to be."

Maria J Hackett