Are We Free to Go? - Anti-Black Racism and Its Impact on Black Play - Kisha McPherson

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Dipper

Explores how anti-Black racism shapes the lived possibilities of Black play by linking surveillance and the criminalization of Black bodies to the denial of basic freedom. Using an autoethnographic approach, the author connects personal encounters and public accounts to show how scrutiny by citizens and law enforcement restricts access to pleasure, self-expression, play, and leisure. Argues that anti-Black oppression turns freedom and joy into ideological tensions that provoke discriminatory reactions.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages27

Reading Time1 h 8 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction

Are We Free to Go? Anti-Black Racism and Its Impact on Black Play • Kisha McPherson Drawing connections between anti-Black racism, surveillance, and the criminalization of Black bodies, and using an autoethnographic approach, the author discusses the effect of racism on Black play. She analyzes her personal encounters and the public accounts of others to illustrate how white supremacy uses scrutiny and its attendant actions by citizens and law enforcement to deny Black people the basic freedom of play. Key words: anti-Black racism; Black play; racism and leisure; surveillance and play Introduction Some of the early theorizing about play makes necessary connections between play and our need to release energy and express our natural physical urges (Hendricks 2020). Although most theories vaguely define play, and thereis much debate among scholars about its “rhetorics”(Smith-Sutton 1997), what seems most apparent about play is the variety of activities and expressions in which it can take shape (Burghardt 2012; Hendricks 2020; Wright 2018) . Some of the general notions and understandings surrounding concepts of play and its purpose in the lives of people remain consistent, because individuals commonly use activities associated with play as a catalyst for engaging in pleasurable selfexpression (Wright 2018). The research about play also points to the numerous social and physical benefits that individuals derive from engaging in the “innumerable variety” of play (Henricks 2020, 117) . Highlighting this link between human beings and the necessity for play in people’s lives, Dutch historian and classic play scholar Johan Huizinga described play “as a primary mode of our existence”(Wright 2018, 3), suggesting that play (and playing) is a central part of the human experience. 356 American Journal of Play, volume 13, numbers 2 and 3 © The Strong [Contact Kisha McPherson at kisha.mcpherson@ryerson.ca](Contact Kisha McPherson at kisha.mcpherson@ryerson.ca) Considering these points, individuals—living freely—should have the ability and opportunity to decide first the type of activities, based on pleasure and self-expression, that fulfills their inherent need for play. And they need to be able to enjoy freely and openly legal activities used for that purpose. However, the extent to which particular groups of people can openly engage in any play remains limited by and confined within the power structures and social order of society that maintain anti-Black racism. Here, I associate play with activities that provide such qualities as freedom and lead “to excitement, fun, and its most sublime manifestation, joy”(Henricks 2020, 128) . In the face of racist oppression, qualities that reflect elements of freedom and joy gained through play are particularly important to Black people, and for the purpose of my analysis, I extend classifications of what I consider play in numerous ways. Here, play is less about the scholarly definitions of play and more about the activities in which Black people actually engage to pursue the values and qualities that can be derived from play. This, in some of the situations I describe, includes activities that can also be associated with leisure and recreation. The value of play and its connection to human desires is central to my analysis. Some activities I outline may not be traditionally seen as play but can be considered so for Black people, based on values associated with those activities. The actions and activities of Black people since the beginnings of colonialism in the West have been managed and monitored (Maynard 2017). Through various historical and contemporary structures of control—from slavery to modern policing in Canada and the United States—the freedom for Black people to participate in activities for the purpose of play are constantly surveilled and criminalized. I outline an even broader concern related to Black people and play, which is that when Black people attempt to live

FAQs

What central connection does the author draw between anti-Black racism and Black play?

The author connects anti-Black racism with surveillance and the criminalization of Black bodies, showing how these forces deny Black people the basic freedom of play.

How does the author conduct the analysis?

The author uses an autoethnographic approach, drawing on personal encounters and public accounts of others to illustrate racism’s impact on Black play and related freedoms.

Why does the author argue that freedom and joy gained through play are especially important for Black people?

Because racist oppression limits what groups can openly engage in, the values of freedom and joy become vital. When Black people try to live freely through play, ideological tensions and discriminatory reactions often follow.

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Dipper