If you’ve ever waded through grief, felt full rage, or struggled to hold onto a feeling of joy, this episode is for you.

I had the honor of interviewing Dr. Tahirah Walker, a personal and professional expert on the power of joy as resistance.

This episode explores joy and how it often co-exists with rage and grief. Dr. Walker explains how joy is resistance because our joy is power. It’s a power no one can take from you. And it a power amplified when shared with others.

In this conversation, we consider all the ways we use joy as protection, whether inserting humor to diffuse a difficult interaction, laughing uncontrollably to deter unwanted attention, or performing joy to reclaim a feeling of safety.

Along the way we arrive at a powerful realization: Feeling authentic joy (rather than performing it) requires safety. So, when we find ourselves in situations where we are performing joy or having trouble accessing joy, it might be worth asking: what’s making us feel unsafe?

As you listen, you’ll delight in the joyful moments throughout our conversation. We cover everything from the thrill of making a basketball hoop from across the court, to Pittsburgh poet Toi Derricotte, to Ghostbusters blasting “Your Love Keeps Lifting Me Higher and Higher,” to comedian Richard Pryor, to bee-shaped pins and fabulous hats.

Enjoy the wisdom and joy of Dr. Tahirah Walker!

More about this episode's guest:

Tahirah Walker is an educator, researcher, creative writer, and mother. She is the author of Rhetoric, Intersectionality, and Black Women in Pittsburgh: Living Enough for the City, a book about the power of words to both oppress and resist. She is the two-time recipient of the Advancing Black Arts in Pittsburgh grant. Tahirah has a degree in Anthropology from Sarah Lawrence College, a Masters in Education and Instructional Technology from Carnegie Mellon University, and a PhD in Rhetoric from Duquesne University. Tahirah currently serves as the Chair of the Department of Community Engagement & Leadership at Rowland School of Business at Point Park University, where she has taught for many years. She has also served as faculty at the University of Pittsburgh, Penn State University,and Bethany College. Beyond her professional and academic accomplishments, Tahirah is a fierce believer in the power of joy as resistance.

Connect with Dr. Tahirah: https://blackbooklady.com/