Black Joy

 Jerry Craft rides the line between Black trauma and Black joy in his graphic novel New Kid. In the past year, I have been exposed to the double-edged sword of “issue books”. Profiting off of Black trauma through books and media is commonplace in America. Books like Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson and Colson Whitehead’s Nickel Boys put Black pain at the center of their stories and profit off of doing so. These books are important and should continue to be written, read, and celebrated. However, when the dominant narrative of Black Americans becomes one of pain and suffering, the Black experience is siphoned into a one-dimensional, static frame.
To combat this, writers like Danez Smith (Dinosaurs in the Hood) and Samantha Irby (wow, no thank you) write counterstories that decentralize Black trauma and showcase Black joy. Jerry Craft does this while also highlighting important struggles with microaggressions, white saviors, and the day-to-day racism that people of color face in settings where whiteness is centered. Craft works with the issue of centering Black pain in his book when Jordan and his friends attend a book fair. Maury, a Black student, is handed a book on “a gritty tale of survival” while his white classmate, Alex, is recommended a book about “a magical adventure” (Craft 129). Craft highlights the construction of the separation between African American books (issue books) and mainstream books that center white characters who triumph in worlds that are filled with magic and hope (130). 
In addition to addressing the problem with issue books, Craft creates a counterstory of his own with the story of Jordan. The focal point of his graphic novel is the success of a Black boy who experiences the highs and lows of middle school. Craft certainly brings in trauma, but he balances it out with a narrative of hope. Instead of creating a plot where trauma and pain dominate, he makes an explicit effort to create moments of pure joy and optimism that provide a haven from dominant narratives of pain.
This message of joy and humanization speaks directly to the service we are doing with Bridges. Sometimes the students we have a relationship with just need some time to have fun and be kids (like any other kid on planet Earth). We do not need to try to figure everything out for them or assume that they can teach us everything about the people of their race or socioeconomic status. It is a simple but sometimes uncommon idea to push narratives of joy in place of narratives of pain.

What I found most challenging this semester was feeling humor come off the page. With the first few pieces that we read, I found it hard to read humor without trying to dissect it. Once I got used to this style of writing, I found that my sense of humor improved and I was able to relax with our texts instead of trying to take them too seriously. This has translated to my personal life. I have been able to look out for humorous or ironic moments appreciate them more than I have in the past.