365: Black History Month, Black Month, Black
By Tasha
Today is the start of Black History Month, dubbed “Negro History Week” and begun by a Black man, Carter G. Woodson. Woodsen’s intent was to highlight the rich history of an entire people-group rather than only focusing on two prominent men of history, Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglas. It was converted to a whole month by Black Kent State University students in the early 1970s, and made “official” by a white man in office in 1976. Honestly, go ahead and Google who started Black History Month, and you will see Gerald Ford’s name appear as if he recognized the month out of thin air. The history of Black History Month, like so many other things in this country, was created, developed, and started by Black folx--but not recognized, celebrated or official until a white person put their stamp of approval on it. This process in and of itself is truly exhausting: to know your value and your worth as a Black person, only to daily be told and taught something completely different through the lens of whiteness in this country.
This is an ongoing struggle that some realize but most others don’t. Don’t believe it’s an issue? Here are a few other examples to look up if you aren’t yet convinced: KIPP schools, country music, Elvis, DNA and medical research, and this CNN article that came out a couple years ago about a big cat “discovered” by white folx in Kenya even though Black folx in Kenya had been seeing the cat regularly. It’s a reminder that “new” to you is not actually new, discovered, or founded if it was already known, inhabited, or created by someone else. It’s also important to note that the article has changed since it first came out because of the ‘blacklash’ from the word “discovered” in the headline.
Anywho, Black History Month--which I now dub Black month in order to celebrate more than just the history we choose to highlight around Jackie Robinson or Rosa Parks--is here! And though I am not on board with 28 days of performative allyship, I do want Blackness to be celebrated daily. Celebrating Blackness for more than 28 days requires an added muscle from all of us.
We must humanize and highlight Black girl magic and Black boy joy. Honor not just the late Cicely, Kobe, or Chadwick, but also Breonna, Ahmaud, George, Casey, Sandra, and Trayvon. If you find yourself celebrating Lebron and wearing Jordans, but labeling neighborhoods full of Black folx “bad” and calling BLM protesters rioters and “thugs” or if you’re enjoying Black television and Black music, but can’t seem to elevate Black voices in your school or office--guess what? You have work to do. If you read about Black history or church history only through a white lens, and have no idea who built the White House, you have work to do. And if you don’t find it problematic or racist that the former President of the United States dubbed the Nicole Hannah-Jones’ 1619 project and this Guide, as “anti-American", you also have work to do. Without Black people, there is no America. It is a country built on our backs, profiting from our bodies. And as much as I am reminded that this country, while built by us is not for us, I am also reminded of the strength, resilience, and creativity that Black people have exuded for the past 400+ years. I can only imagine what it would look like if we had been thriving and not just trying to survive. Think what we could be and do.
From news coverage to brutality videos: they all fuel anti-blackness. We can add racial profiling, the enslavement of Black people, our criminal legal system, and discipline practices in schools to the list as well. Supremacy breeds anti-blackness, and most of it displays itself in white hegemony. This idea that white is normal, white is good, and is the standard to which all else is held. When we look at American history--which includes Black history because we too are American--we learn that nothing has truly changed. Examples of exceptionalism with President Barack Obama, Vice President Kamala (pronounced “COMMA-LA”) Harris, and Oprah are not the norm. And while we pretend that these disparities don’t exist, the wealth gap between Black and White families continues to grow.
My challenge to you, reader, is that this Black History Month, this Black Month, you join us in celebrating Black in all its forms. Not just the next 28 days, but the next 365. The Anti-Racism Resource Guide will be doing so by selling a Black designed, Black History Month exclusive crew neck sweatshirt. The money from this sweatshirt will be split three ways, supporting three amazing Black women and their black-owned businesses: the Anti-Racism Resource Guide, Foreign World Media, and YaMi V Designs. It is imperative that we put our money where our support is, and it is even more essential that we celebrate Blackness not just these next 28 days, but for the next 365. The cost of the sweatshirt matches that call. Each sweatshirt will be 36.50 (+ shipping), a price set as another reminder that this isn’t about the month, but the people. Kadrian of Foreign World Media is our Director of Creative Content and Brand Strategy. Her art has pulled ARG into new places and spaces because of its beauty. YaMi V Designs run by YaMinco is in continuous partnership with ARG. As our Director of Operations, she is who we thank for the gear getting into the hands of those who want to rock it. These two Black women are fantastic and it is not history or herstory--it is the celebration of Black. It is an honoring of Black women.
Maybe you buy our sweatshirt for yourself or a friend, maybe you contribute $365 to your favorite Black organization, maybe you send money for lunch to a Black friend, maybe you finally decide to read some Malcolm X, Toni Morrison, or James Baldwin. Whatever you do, make sure it’s something that you can do not just to celebrate Black History Month--or as I call it Black month--but to celebrate Black for 365 days this year.