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Before we realized that the official theme of Black History Month 2023 is Black resistance, Black staffers at The 19th decided we wanted to explore Black joy this month. Too many stories about our communities, both historically and today, depict only our hardest times, erasing the wholeness of who we are. Struggle and resistance are part of our stories. But so are hard-won happiness, enjoyment and creativity. 

So why not blend both? 

To celebrate Black History Month, in addition to our day-to-day coverage of Black communities, you’ll find stories on these twin themes of resistance and joy. 

Here’s a closer look at our stories of Black joy and resistance. This page will be updated with our coverage throughout the month of February.

The 19th staff reflects on Black History Month

Several Black staffers at The 19th have come together to reflect on what this month means to us: It’s about family, teaching ourselves Black history when educational systems fail us, and embracing the unique gifts and individuality our ancestors fought for us to have. 

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Read, watch, listen

The 19th Celebrates: Black History Month with Fawn Weaver

To celebrate Black History Month and kick off our 19th Celebrates event series, our editor-at-large, Errin Haines, interviewed entrepreneur Fawn Weaver, the CEO of the investment firm Grant Sidney Inc., and the CEO and founder of Uncle Nearest Premium Whiskey. 

In case you missed it, the conversation centered on how Weaver draws inspiration from Black history in her career, what lessons she’s taken from Black businesswomen who’ve come before her, and what advice she has for those who will come after. Watch the event here.

Black resistance reading list

The 19th spoke with lovers of Black literature to curate a list of books by Black women and LGBTQ+ authors that they feel embody the theme of Black resistance. They shared what Black resistance means to them and books that have stayed with them throughout their lives. 

‘Black Disability Politics’ approaches Black disability activism with a political lens

In 2022, Sami Schalk published “Black Disability Politics,” a book about the intersection of Black and disabled liberation.

She weaves together historical documents from the Black Panther Party and National Black Women’s Health Project, with contemporary perspectives from Black disabled activists and advocates to address gaps in the way academics have traditionally approached disability rights. 

Our interview with ‘Color Me Country’ host Rissi Palmer

Rissi Palmer, “Color My Country” podcast host and artist, spoke with The 19th about her career as a Black woman artist, gatekeeping and revisionist history, making more room at the table for an audience who has always been there, and country music as a form of resistance. 

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The trailblazers who paved the way

Frances Ellen Watkins Harper

On the anniversary of her passing, The 19th’s fellows honor the “mother of African American journalism,” who our HBCU fellowship is named for.

“In 85 years of life, Frances Ellen Watkins Harper did not stop demanding what was rightfully hers. And more than 100 years after her death, her words still hold their power.” — Daja E. Henry, editorial fellow

Monica Roberts

Before her death in 2020, TransGriot founder Monica Roberts fought against misgendering in media and used tough love to hold her Black and queer colleagues accountable. 

Barbara Johns

Joan Johns Cobbs joined her sister, Barbara, to protest their segregated school’s deplorable conditions in 1951. She wants the statue of her sister planned for Statuary Hall to show her “determination and forcefulness.”

Environmental justice advocates

The 19th talked to current leaders in the environmental and climate justice movements about the trailblazing Black women in their own lives who have inspired and shaped their work.

Who’s making Black history in your lives?

The 19th staff asked to hear from you about the people in your lives who are making Black history. From filmmakers to medical experts, here are their stories.

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Exploring the Black relationship with joy

For Black History Month, The 19th spoke with four Black people at different stages of their lives and at different stages in their relationship with joy. We asked them to describe their relationship with joy currently and the steps they took to get there.

In this first part, Keah Brown and Dominic Bradley open up about the hardships they experienced and how they identified ways to support and love themselves.

In this second part, Gigi Best-Richardson and Irma Clement discuss how their efforts to rediscover themselves after retirement led to a chapter full of happiness.

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The fight to remember Black history

JoAnne Bland doesn’t just teach about the fight for voting rights in Selma. She lived it.

On March 7, 1965, when JoAnne Bland was just 11 years old, she joined her sister and an estimated 600 “foot soldiers” for a planned march from Selma to the state capitol, Montgomery, in support of voting rights. But state troopers and local residents, some on horseback, stopped the group after just a few blocks at the Edmund Pettus Bridge, and attacked them with batons and tear gas. 

Now, she has dedicated her life to educating people about Bloody Sunday and her hometown of Selma, Alabama, to ensure they remember the lessons in the fight for voting rights.

Black communities find a way to get the education they desire

In response to a recent wave of political backlash seeking to restrict Black history education, more people are looking to platforms like TikTok, museums, bookstores and community education programs to fill in knowledge gaps.

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Investing in Black youth

What if over a 10-year period there was an intentional effort to invest $1 billion in Black girls and gender-expansive youth? That question sparked the creation of the #1Billion4BlackGirls campaign, and Black Girl Freedom Week will amplify this call to action. 

From February 13 to 19, Black Girl Freedom Week will host free virtual events, including panel discussions, film screenings, music performances and resource sharing on how to support and engage Black girls and understand how to move investments in a meaningful way.