2020 was the year of the uproar for the Black Lives Matter movement. Because of this, Black History Month 2020 took on another perspective. From the deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Elijah McCain, and many other African Americans who have died at the hands of police brutality, Black History Month hit differently over the years. In February 2020, there were companies that created collections in honor of Black History Month. However, this does not mean that black people want the world’s pity, black people just want to be equal.
There are many companies that have black history collections. For instance, my friend and I went to Target in December, and we noticed that the associates were putting together a collection in honor of Black History Month. At first, I was happy. But then I asked myself, “When did Target start doing Black History Month?” Let’s think about it. No store has ever done anything in honor of Black History Month. They might have had more representation, but not a whole collection. Now, Target is releasing a collection for Black History Month. Sephora announced they plan to tackle racial bias by cutting back on security guards and offering more black brands. Do you see the common denominator?
The fact that stores are doing this now really upsets me as a black woman. These brands decide to release Black History Month collections, but in my opinion, this is something that should have been done a long time ago. Personally, this was a sympathy card for us as African Americans in this society. We do not need a display in the stores to represent us. This is how we represent ourselves: By shopping at black-owned business. By being there for each other in these circumstances. If you would like to represent us, do things such as being an ally. Be someone to stand up when African Americans are being mistreated. Or even better: hold those in power accountable for their actions of injustice. All in all, do us African Americans a favor, and let us live in this world peacefully, and not see the world’s display to make yourselves feel better.
