Episode 18 ~ Kleaver Cruz aka THE Dominican Diaspora Dreamer !

In this powerful and soul-centered conversation, we sit with Kleaver Cruz, author of The Black Joy Project, to explore Black joy not as a trend—but as a tool of resistance, a strategy for survival, and a declaration of power.

Kleaver, a community organizer and founder of The Black Joy Project, has dedicated his work to uplifting stories that remind us that Black life is not solely defined by struggle—but by brilliance, creativity, tenderness, and triumph. Through their storytelling and organizing, they reframe joy as political, intentional, and deeply rooted in collective memory.

Together, we unpack the power of language—how the words we use shape narratives, movements, and even our self-concept. We reflect on the hidden figures of the Black movement—the everyday organizers, cultural architects, artists, and elders whose names may not make headlines but whose impact reshapes generations. We talk Benito Bowl, tostones or maduro, their favorite word, whether they'd go a lifetime without travel or a lifetime without books....and MORE!

This episode is an invitation to reimagine resistance. To understand that joy is not a distraction from the work—it is the work. That naming ourselves is power. That remembering our hidden figures is legacy. And that choosing joy, especially in the face of erasure, is one of the most radical acts available to us.

Come for the insight. Stay for the affirmation. Leave remembering that Black joy is strategy, language is liberation, and our stories are sacred.