“Stop rescheduling joy.”
— India Kager, #SayHerName
Play serves as nourishment, a vital and self-affirming expression of a communal spirit that creates space to revel in affirmation, kinship, and love. Play can also function as an act of resistance in a world that tries to make us serious, hardened, isolated, compliant, productive, and exhausted. Together, radical joy and play represent the refusal to break under the weight of systemic oppression.
Despite its rejuvenating potential, however, Black women have long been denied the freedom to play. This denial often begins in childhood, where Black girls may not receive the same opportunities to play as their peers due to being overly burdened with responsibilities that rob us of the carefree exploration that is quintessential to our development. As we grow into adulthood, this pattern continues, leaving little room for play’s restorative power.
Black women have long been at the nexus of interlocking systemic injustices leaving us both physically and spiritually overworked, overburdened, and overwhelmed. Time and again, research has shown that Black women experience significantly worse health outcomes than their white counterparts—and unfortunately, these disparities are not coincidental. According to researchers at the Journal of Women’s Health, “Black women continue to experience excess mortality relative to other U.S. women, including…shorter life expectancies and higher rates of maternal mortality.” Further, Black women are disproportionately burdened by chronic conditions, such as anemia, cardiovascular disease, and obesity.
Society has declared a war on our joy, and it’s about time we take it back. To combat these compounding harms, AAPF will host “Freedom to Play” wellness days — filled with play activities such as musical chairs, jump rope, line dancing, and more — recreating the freedom and joy of childhood in order to honor the legacy of Black women lost to violence with the #SayHerName campaign.
Complete the form below to be added to our mailing list - the next Freedom to Play Wellness Day is right around the corner. We look forward to seeing you all there!
TODAY’S PRACTICE
Reflect in your journal about what types of play brought you joy as a child. Sign up to join us at the next Freedom to Play Wellness day: https://www.aapf.org/upcomingevents
CALLS TO ACTION
COMPLETE the Liberation Calendar Survey.
ADD the 2026 Google Liberation Calendar to your own calendar.
JOIN our WhatsApp community to engage w/ fellow participants!
DOWNLOAD the Liberation Table Guide.