“But our community has learned that even the darkest depths of human evil cannot snuff out our experience of joy—of laughter and love, of good food and good conversation, of family legacy and hope for the future, of creative endeavor and the pursuit of justice. The joy of Blackness persists. Our joy is in having loved and been loved well. Our joy is in the ties that bind us to one another. Our joy is in the legacy of all that our ancestors have done for us. Our joy is in being able to participate in that legacy now. Our joy is in the taste of freedom, regardless of whether we got only a morsel or the whole pie. Our joy is in a shared language, a shared dance, a shared game, a shared song. Our joy is in having left a mark in the world, being able to say, I was here. And none of these things can be placed in a box and buried in the ground. They are resilient in that they are everlasting, surviving long after the pain of tragedy has waned.” (pp. 18-19)