“We Still Find a Way to Smile”: Black School Counselors Reclaiming Black Joy and Resistance

Abstract

Antiracism in school counseling calls for an active stance in addressing racism in K–12 schools while building homeplace to affirm and protect students. As such, this qualitative study focuses on how Black school counselors understand and reclaim Black joy and resistance as a part of homeplace, a place where students’ humanity is affirmed and honored. This study revealed three themes: (a) We’ve Done Been Knowing, (b) It’s One and the Same, and (c) When Two or More Are Gathered. Findings are foundational toward building a firm understanding of Black joy and resistance while recognizing the educative power of Black school counselors.