Our Eyes are Watching God: Bearing Witness to Black Life and the Complexities of Black Joy on Death Row

Abstract

The purpose of this article is to paint a narrative in exploration of the following research question: What can we learn about Black life and Black Joy from the voices of those who are incarcerated? Utilizing the historical tradition of Black testimony, this article will explore this research question within the context of an urban high school book club co-led by Keith LaMar—a wrongfully convicted Black man currently on death row in Ohio. That said, this article aims to document the complexities of Black life and Black Joy in the midst of anti-Blackness by prompting readers to bear witness to the fullness and richness of Keith's life; a life that is irreducible to anti-Blackness or the tortures of prison.