How Can Organizations Do Black History Month Differently?
Estimated read time: • February 10, 2023
THE CONTEXT
February is Black History Month, and many organizations attempt to provide appropriate programming.
THE PUZZLE
These efforts often fall flat and feel performative. How can organizations do better in honoring Black History Month?
Take a moment to consider what your organization has done for Black History Month this year. What has already happened? What is planned for the rest of the month? Now consider how you feel about your organization's efforts. What have you appreciated about them? What do you wish had been done differently?
My colleagues Gloria Cotton and Thomas Barnette sat down recently to discuss Black History Month efforts, from their perspective as DEI practitioners with over 50 years of combined experience. This short video is part of a new Video Toolkit we have put together where we discuss Frequently Asked Questions from the DEI space. Some of the other questions include: “Haven’t we talked enough about race already?” “Do we really have to be inclusive of people who are being prejudiced?” and “I want to be an ally but I don’t want to overstep when it’s not wanted. What should I do?” There is a library of 24 questions to choose from. But now, during the month of February, we wanted to send this one out to all of you. Watch Gloria and Thomas here. and then below are some key takeaways.
What Organizations Can Do Better For Black History Month
[1] Don’t limit your focus to just this one month. Any efforts at appreciating Black history and Black people are not adequate if they are primarily compartmentalized into this one month of the year. Focus needs to be year-round.
[2] The history is linked to the present. Companies should focus not just on Black history, but on current issues – barriers and inequity that Black people are still facing, the resilience of Black people despite these barriers, and under-the-radar contributions being made by Black people today.
[3] Look in the mirror. Efforts should focus not only on what is happening in the world and in our country, but in our organization as well.
[4] Find commonalities with other marginalized groups. Many other groups have been misrepresented, misunderstood and marginalized as well. We should find ways to build more understanding, inclusion, and equity for all, in a more unified rather than segregating way.
[5] Diversify decision making. When organizations have more Black leaders and when they ask for input from more Black people, they will better be able to incorporate these considerations all year in an organic and real way instead of a performative way.
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While there aren't many days left in February, it's actually a great time to do some introspection and evaluation in order to integrate lessons learned into your DEI strategy for the next year and beyond. Also potentially useful for those of you who are not Black is a previous article here. And reach out if you want to hear more about how organizatinos are using this FAQ Video Toolkit in their DEI initiatives.