A project centered on choosing joy and self love as a radical form of activism.
A feeling turned into a song.
A song turned into a video.
A video turned into a book.
A book turned into a movement.
The mission of Project Happyvism is to activate & spread Joy throughout communities of color and beyond by embracing self-love.
The story behind project Happyvism.
Educators Ryan Parker and Justis Lopez describe the intention and thought process behind project #Happyvism.
Happyvism(Song)
Rooted in the elements of Hip-Hop educators Ryan Parker and Justis Lopez bring you a song centered on love, peace, and Black & Brown boy Joy.
Happyvism (Book)
Inspired by the Happyvism song this children’s book communicates the significance, necessity and power of embraced joy in the face of a world riddled with trauma and oppression specifically as it relates to Black and Brown bodies. Additionally, this book embraces the beauty and need for Black and Brown boy joy and emphasizes the fact that maintaining happiness about who you are and what you think, say, and do in a world that consistently goes against the grain of your identity is a form of activism in itself hence: HAPPYVISM.
Featured
Harvard Graduate School Of Education
Peace Center Of Connecticut
UConn NEAG School Of Education
HipHop Ed Podcast Network
#Episode 8: On Joy & Happyvism Ft. Justis Lopez & Ryan Parker
Department of Leisure, Family and Recreation
Harvard Graduate School Of Education
Stanford Graduate School of Education
“Joy, Justice and Happyvism. A community celebration centering restoration”
Strategic Community Partners
Culturally Responsive Education Advancing Toward Equity - CREATE Accelerator
The Daily Campus: UConn
Activism Defined by Self-Love: “Centering joy” through Project Happyvism
The Acosta Institute
University of Massachusetts
“Center of Racial Justice and Youth Engaged Research. Black at the Center Launch Event”