Rooted in Faith, Flourishing in Culture: Joy as Sacred Resistance in the African-Caribbean Diaspora

Abstract

This chapter explores joy as sacred resistance through the lived experience of a Caribbean-born, faith-centered Black woman leader in higher education. Grounded in Critical Race Theory, Black Feminist Thought, and Caribbean feminist frameworks, the author examines how faith, culture, and communal joy sustain her amid systemic inequities, microaggressions, and gendered racial bias. Drawing from childhood memories in the Virgin Islands, Biblical faith, and scholarly reflection, she reveals how joy is cultivated not as avoidance of struggle but as a transformative practice of resistance and renewal. Her narrative weaves personal experience with theoretical reflection—from being undermined in leadership to leading two universities through national accreditation, achieving tenure twice, and serving at the federal level. The chapter demonstrates how Caribbean womanhood, spiritual grounding, and collective joy form an enduring source of liberation, flourishing, and leadership resilience.