February 18, 2026
Black Public Joy, by Jay Pitter
“Every gesture, from ceding space on a sidewalk, to nodding your head to bombastic beats radiating from a street festival, influences the amount and quality of public joy available to ourselves and others. Every bus ride, trip to the bookstore, and coffee shop meetup presents us with the responsibility to be good stewards of each other’s public joy.” —Jay Pitter
In her work, Jay Pitter takes the familiar and makes it new, complicating narratives in the most generative, engaging and interesting ways to create new possibilities. And in her new book, BLACK PUBLIC JOY, she continues that work, exploring the myriad expressions of Black identity in public spaces, and how those expressions are connected to history and culture. The book begins with a childhood memory of Pitter dancing to music she hears while walking through a shopping mall, and being reprimanded by her mother “who felt that a Black person dancing in public was undignified and reinforced racist stereotypes.” And over the years, the experience would contribute to Pitter’s approach as a placemaker (someone who leads the design, policy and programming of public spaces) and urban planning professor. She writes, “I’m fascinated by how people claim and cede space in public and how design, histories, stories, politics, and social attitudes impact these choices.”
BLACK PUBLIC JOY explores all these ideas through five different topics: performance, restriction, protest, sacred space, and joy, drawing on examples from cities across North America. It’s a beautiful and galvanizing text, shifting my own perspective about public space, and making me consider the ways in which I too can be a steward of public joy for those around me.
