What if Grit Isn’t Just About Toughness, but Creativity?

Our ancestors didn’t just endure, they alchemized.

Songs of Survival, Track 2: Deep Down (Grit)

I wrote DEEP DOWN about perseverance. For years, I’ve been asking how previous Black generations survived some of the most horrific times in history. It’s a miracle that after so much organized brutality, we’re still here — and not just surviving, but creating joy, beauty, and culture.

Some people call that grit. And I’ve often wondered where my ancestors got it from — as if grit were just one thing, mostly toughness or durability.

But since starting this resilience journey, I’ve come to see grit differently — not as a single trait, but a collection of survival strategies. That shift started when a coach once told me humor is a “grit skill.” That opened something up.

Because in the context of oppression, humor is alchemy. It turns pain into joy. It melts fear. It makes the unbearable bearable.

When you think of it that way, grit isn’t just about being tough — it’s about transmutation. We’re still here because we’ve used humor, art, ritual, food, spirituality, community, and organizing not just to withstand adversity but to metabolize it. That’s where my ancestors got it from, working together to create life out of what has…