TAP Magazine: Prof. Copeland Explains How “Sinners” Film Celebrates Black Joy
In an article for TAP Magazine, Prof. Copeland from BU School of Social Work explains that the hit film “Sinners” challenges dominant narratives that often focus solely on Black pain by centering Black joy as a form of resistance and survival. It reclaims space for celebration, healing, and imagination within a historically oppressive context, reminding audiences that joy itself can be a radical, liberating act.
Excerpt from “‘Sinners’ is a film about Black Joy” by Phillipe Copeland:
Sinners could not have come at a better time. The sun has set on America’s ‘racial reckoning.’ Police violence is as bad as the day George Floyd was murdered. The Supreme Court has struck down race conscious admissions. DEI programs are being rolled back from colleges to corporations. Our history is targeted for erasure from websites to museums. Our books are being banned. Hard won civil rights gains are being undermined. Sinners reminds us that even in moments like this we cannot allow anyone to take our joy. We must keep dancing, singing, loving, living, and fighting until the sun rises again.”