Ten years ago, Carlton Mackey, like most of the country's black population, was overwhelmed by media death, anger and turbulent media image after Michael Brown was killed. Protests broke out in Ferguson, Missouri and cities across the country, with social media users mourning Brown who was killed by police.

Mackey wades through social media hashtags that were circulating at the time: #BlackLivesMatter, #mikebrown, #handsupdontshoot, all with hundreds of results and images that exudes sadness, pain and depression.

He then typed in the #BlackMensMile tag.

"It produces zero results. I'm angry and confused," McGee said. He decided to take action. He thinks: "It's an opportunity to take up space and make it a place where you can go and see and know there is another way of being. One of the joys and thoughts of our lives."

"The #blackmensmile hashtag is an opportunity to take up space without claims," ​​he said.

Mackey made his mission to promote the image of men smiling and expressing joy in amid political turmoil. It quickly grew into a mini sports. Men across the country filled the hashtags with smiling images and fragile titles about personal growth and optimism. One wrote, smiling because he "hopefully my situation will change." Another wrote: “Think about my distance from one form of life to another, but knowing that I am still the kid who made his first PlayStation stand out from the cardboard.”

Over the years, Mackey and Jeremiah Griffin, the company’s narrative media director, will authorize the company to start from scratch. Today, the brand’s Instagram account has over 100,000 followers and has expanded to clothing, with a range of sweatshirts and other items waving “Black Joy Is Revansityare” like “Black Joy is Revolutionary.”

Under the smile of black men, the Umbrella is a pair of YouTube series "JE's Diary" that includes discussions about fatherhood, relationships and beliefs, as well as "Greenhouse Dialogue", a natural theme exploration of black mental health and spirituality .

McGee’s initial mission was simple: “It’s about celebrating the way we see ourselves. It’s about what we say to ourselves, not putting value, focus and priorities on the stories we tell,” he said.

Their company’s biggest collaboration was in 2024, when the Black Smile Apparel was briefly sold at Target locations across the country, part of Target’s Black History Moter series. McGee said the collaboration was bittersweet in about a year later, given the company's recent announcement that it would gradually reduce its diversity, equity and inclusion programs and follow including Walmart and Lowe's ) other large retailers.

McGee said that while the collaboration was a major achievement, he may not work with Target again due to his decision. “I wouldn’t choose to substantially tolerate this behavior by putting my brand into the store at this critical moment,” he said.

He added: “My decision is based on a principled argument that greater movement for blacks who are making conscious decisions”.

Mackey and Griffin held a live Instagram conference last month, where nearly twenty social media followers were able to express their opinions and frustrations about Dei's rollback. These community discussions may continue as the two men’s “Black Joy” campaign under the new Trump administration.

During his first few weeks of his tenure, Trump signed an executive order to end all DEI initiatives in the federal government. Moving to ban Martin Luther King Jr. targeted gender affirmation care, initiating mass deportation efforts, and more. Trump’s early orders created through progressive circles and grassroots organizations With shockwaves, their leaders say their jobs will become more difficult under the new government.

McGee and Griffin said that is more important than ever.

"Questions, fears, uncertainty in our community just rises at this time," Griffin said.

“It is known that this is what we do. In that era, when we get together, we will use the platforms we create to encourage, elevate, to reflect the joy within which we can access our community and regain our ability to regain Power, regain power ourselves. Work is still work."