A native of Alma, West Virginia, Oceanna Smith lives in Wheeling and is a youth organizer with the ACLU of West Virginia.

She considers herself a jack of all trades and loves to create art in all its forms.

Smith says this project is important because “Black women are so often doing the hardest work with the least recognition.” “Making space to see us and hear us is not only healing for us but for every community,” she said.

She draws a distinction between joy, in the general sense, and Black Joy in particular. “Black joy is resilient, elevated, and identity-centered,” she said. “I feel Black Joy when I give myself permission to celebrate my existence, because it is divine.”