Photo: Stone RF
A group of New York college students is going viral for spreading Black Boy Joy as they try new activities around the city and break the mold of how society perceives young Black men, per NBC News.
The group, known as OSB, or One Strong Brotherhood, consists of 10 students at Hunter College in Manhattan. They initially went viral after Khadim Thiam shared a TikTok video of them trying matcha green tea at a Dunkin' Donuts in New York City. The 19-second clip showed them smiling and laughing as they held up their cups of tea.
The video initially garnered several negative comments, suggesting that men shouldn't be "this happy" to try matcha.
“I don’t know why the internet reacted like that,” Thiam said. “So now I was like, O.K., so y’all don’t want to see us try matcha? We’re going to start trying many other things.”
Despite the criticism, the group continued to share videos of them trying a wide range of activities from puppy yoga to dance classes and pilates. The goal was to break down negative stereotypes of Black men and boys and spread Black Boy Joy.
“There’s a lot of negative stereotypes and connotations when it comes to young Black men," Thiam said. “We deserve our credit and our place in society to be considered normal, joyful people.”
Since posting the matcha video, almost every post featuring the group has gone viral.
“People were beginning to see the genuineness and joy in us trying different things,” Thiam said. “I felt like it inspired a lot of people to continue watching the series, and they wanted to see what’s next.”
OSB hopes to take their adventures outside of New York City and to continue inspiring others to try new experiences.
“I just want to encourage people to try new things,” Thiam said. “Meet new people, make great connections. Have genuine fun, joy, and bring energy.”
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