Kamala Harris is tapping into the Black Joy movement

It’s been called “Kamalamania,” “Kamalmentum,” and “Kamelot.” Others dismiss it as “irrational exuberance,” or a political sugar high led by a “ding dong.” In the five weeks since Kamala Harris upended the 2024 presidential race, the commentariat has used all kinds of phrases to describe Democrats’ euphoria about her sudden White House run. But there is another electoral force propelling Harris’ candidacy that has barely been noticed: “Black Joy.” Harris isn’t just “campaigning on joy,” as so many commentators have recently noted. She is also tapping into something called the...