Black Joy Sunday: Still Rooted in Joy - 10 Years of Liberation & Community

Anacostia Park, Field 6 (Near the skating rink on the basketball court side)
Sunday, September 7, 2025
1:00 PM – 5:00 PM

Black Joy Sunday began in the summer of 2015 as a direct response to grief, violence, and the need for collective healing. What started as a gathering in Malcolm X Park to reclaim Black space has grown into a decade-long tradition, an unapologetic celebration of our resilience, humanity, and liberation.

This year’s Black Joy Sunday: Still Rooted in Joy marks the 10th anniversary of Black Lives Matter DC (originally Black Lives Matter DMV). Over the last decade, BLM DC has grown from a small group of relative strangers meeting in the basement of the MLK Library to a leaderful ecosystem of artists, activists, organizers, and healers committed to Black liberation.

We’ve:

• Shut down highways and built communities of love and support for families who've lost loved ones to police or community violence.

• Helped pass, fund, and implement transformative legislation like the NEAR Act.

• Defeated harmful “crime bills” that targeted Black DC residents.

• Won lawsuits against the DC Mayor, MPD, and Donald Trump’s administration for attacks on our rights and safety.

• Held hundreds of hours of training and political education.

• Built coalitions that have shifted how advocacy and organizing in DC is done, centering principled, Black-led, and at times, multi-racial coalition work.

One of our core tenets is the belief that creating and holding spaces for consistent Black Joy is essential for liberation. Black Joy is not an afterthought, it is a strategy of resistance, a practice of healing, and a way we remind ourselves of the future we are fighting for.

This year’s Black Joy Sunday will feature:

✨ Free food, music, dancing, games, and community fun for all ages
✨ Free haircuts
✨ Prize giveaways (registration required)
✨ Community resource tables and partner organizations

Registration is free, but you must register to be eligible for prize giveaways!

Come ready to eat, dance, laugh, and connect. This is a celebration of our history, our victories, and the future we are still building together. If you'd like to volunteer, sign up here.

Submitting this online form secures your spot for prizes!

We can't wait to celebrate with you!