Celebrating victory—80 years since VE Day

The importance of respite and joy amidst 'the sorrow and the heartache.'

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Eighty years ago today, the free world rejoiced. After six long, bloody years, Germany had surrendered, Hitler was dead by his own hand, and Victory in Europe (VE) Day was at hand. Much of Europe was in ruins, and the war in the Pacific raged on. Millions were wiped out by bombings, combat, and death camps; millions more would grapple with physical and emotional wounds for decades to come.

And yet, people flooded the city streets and village squares to celebrate.

Celebration in New York’s Times Square on May 8, 1945. Photo: New York Daily News

Here in New Orleans, folks know too much about smiling through their pain. Over the last two weekends, people flocked to our city for the annual Jazz & Heritage Festival, a 14-stage extravaganza of music, food, art, fellowship, and joy. I’ve been at every JazzFest (except the cancelled pandemic years) since 1994. Sometimes, like the post-Katrina 2006 year, and like now, we pause to ask whether it’s appropriate to give ourselves time off, connect with our friends, and celebrate amid ongoing tragedy and mayhem. The answer is always: “Yes.”

Poppa K (Jon) and me celebrating the grandbaby's first JazzFest with Iko's parents, Bryce and Ruby. Outfits courtesy of @FunHouseFashions.

I’ve come to believe that celebrating the good times is not just appropriate but essential, as long as we maintain our vigilance. [Rebecca Solnit’s post today is a great recap of why.] I think we all need that respite, even if it’s just taking a walk outside somewhere, listening to music, reading, appreciating public art, or laughing with a friend.

In my writing, I’ve learned that our readers need a little respite too, especially when we’re handling heavy topics. A couple of years ago, I was lucky enough to be in the audience at my neighborhood bookstore, Baldwin Books, for a talk with two-time National Book Award winner Jesmyn Ward and fellow Mississippi author Kiese Laymon, following the release of Ward’s brilliant novel Let Us Descend. She’d been through a hellacious time—the sudden death of her life partner and father of her children, followed by the pandemic lockdown, which she wrote about in Vanity Fair. The novel is dark and sometimes brutal, but her soaring language and abundant heart carry the reader through. She talked about the need for respite, for giving readers a moment of joy amidst tragedy and devastation. It’s something my writing coach Allison Alsup has reinforced, giving ourselves and our characters a little grace and time to catch our breath.

In his radio address on May 8, 1945, which happened to be his birthday [more here, with a playlist, from Joyce Linehan] President Harry S. Truman said, “Our rejoicing is sobered and subdued by a supreme consciousness of the terrible price we have paid to rid the world of Hitler and his evil band. Let us not forget, my fellow Americans, the sorrow and the heartache, which today abide in the homes of so many of our neighbors—neighbors whose most priceless possession has been rendered as a sacrifice to redeem our liberty.”

Here’s to those who fought that good fight, on the front lines and here at home. And here’s to finding joy on the path ahead.