This Wellcome-funded project explores how Black joy - expressed through happiness, humour, creativity, and/ or cultural pride - can support health and wellbeing among Black Britons. By centring the lived experiences of Black British communities and tracing historical traditions of joy-centred wellbeing, the project investigates when and how Black joy promotes health, where it falls short, and what it reveals about holistic approaches to care. In doing so, it aims to deepen understanding of culturally grounded wellbeing practices and contribute to more effective, community-based, anti-racist health interventions.
Senior Lecturer in Racism and Health
Dr Tanisha Spratt is a Senior Lecturer in Racism and Health in the Department of Global Health and Social Medicine, King’s College London. Building on her sociology background and working across literary and cultural studies, Tanisha’s research centres on racial health inequalities in the UK and the US.
She is the Principal Investigator on the Wellcome-funded project Black Joy as Anti-Racist Praxis: Navigating Structures of Health, Healing and Empowerment within Black British Communities.
Qualitative Researcher
Dr Nkasi Stoll is a Qualitative Researcher at King's College London. She specialises in racial disparities in health and wellbeing, culturally-affirming care, and research culture. Nkasi completed her PhD in Psychological Medicine Research at King's College London on the topic of Black university student mental health. She co-designed and evaluated a peer support intervention for Black students, which has since fostered international collaborations in Brasil and Guyana.
As a researcher and consultant, she has helped numerous organisations improve their practices and policies on the topics of inclusive work practices, student and staff wellbeing, and research culture.