This February during Black History Month you can support black owned businesses, read black literature, educate yourself on things that are important in today’s society and more. It is important that people show their support this Black History Month, but also make it a habit.
- Support Black-Owned Businesses
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One of the easiest ways to show support throughout Black History Month is by supporting black-owned businesses. This fosters job opportunities and helps those communities to grow economically. A few businesses you can support are Alaffia and Mented which are online beauty stores. A way to support small businesses is by searching “Black Owned” under the Etsy site. More local businesses include O Taste and See Bakery, Busy B Bakery and Southern Comfort Kitchen which are located in Kent. Supporting black-owned businesses, big or small, will help to support the black community.
- Watch Films, TV shows and Read Books by Black Authors and Creators
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Most of us enjoy watching Netflix, so why not use this time to our advantage? On Netflix, some great movies to check out are “Moonlight”, “13th”, “I Am Not Your Negro” and “Becoming”. Some shows include “Self Made”, “Dear White People” and “When They See Us”. Some great books to read by black authors are “The Color Purple” by Alica Walker, “Between the World and Me” by Ta-Nehisi Coates, “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings” by Maya Angelou and “Beloved” by Toni Morrison. All of these will help to broaden your awareness while supporting the Black community.
- Learn About Prominent Black Figures in History
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We all know some basic history about prominent balck figures, such as Martin Luther King Jr. and Rosa Parks. However, there are many who are lesser known but have done great things for the black community. Maya Angelou, Frederick Douglass, Harriet Tubman and Langston Hughes are more influential people to learn about. By doing this, we can learn about people that have made a difference for the black community and implement their values into our own lives.
- Have Conversations with Family and Friends
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One of the most influential things you can do is to have open and honest conversations with people about racism and injustice. Emmanuel Acho has a YouTube series called “Honest Conversations with a Black Man” that is entirely based on having uncomfortable conversations about racism. In some videos he gives some tips on how to have conversations like these of your own. Another great resource is “The Uncomfortable Podcast” with Dominique Roberts which takes a similar approach to Acho, by having conversations about racism and injustice within the black community. Talking about racism openly can help broaden our awareness and allow us to get less uncomfortable discussing hard topics.
- Recognize Your Privilege
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Something we can all do to improve our awareness is to recognize the privileges we have and think about those who do not have the same. When we recognize our privileges we are better able to have more empathy for those who differ from us. Some of us may even recognize the black community, but may not be doing it the right way. Such as being “color blind,” meaning they do not see race, or a “white savior,” where a white person tries to save the non-white person. It is important to recognize the things that we say or actions we take. Some examples of white privilege are not fearing the police, being represented in books, dolls, cards and magazines. In addition, having the privilege to learn about my race and how they made civilization what it is today. Our privileges and the concept of intersectionality are great things to implement in our conversations.
Most of these ideas are easy to implement and it is important to be thinking about racism and injustice, not only during Black History Month. Hopefully after reading this article you are more aware of the things you can do to broaden your perspective and learn.