February is the Start of Black History Year for Me!

There is always much chatter about whether Black History Month should be celebrated or condemned for being the shortest month to acknowledge the vast contributions of people from the African diaspora. For me, Black history has always been a part of my DNA and started at home.

My father insisted that my brother and I see positive reflections of ourselves, whether that was in the books we read, the dolls I played with (I have photos of myself with my Black dolls at two years old BEFORE they were commonplace in department stores) and the information about our race that we consumed. We were part of a test pilot in the mid-1970’s that offered classes on Saturdays for Black students to learn about their history. I spent endless afternoons in my favourite libraries reading about Civil Rights leaders, pro-Black movements and legendary Canadian icons. That’s why I view Black History month as an opportunity to highlight and educate the wider community about me and my community.

But it’s not something I only do in February, it’s what I do all year around. From my clients to my own professional background to the upbringing of my children. This is a year round, lifelong movement for me. I love my community and I’m proud of all of our accomplishments. So as I did last year in my blog about Black History Month, I am going to make the same plea to media outlets. Please do our stories year round, use experts from our community year round (and not just to talk about race, crime, sports and entertainment), cover our stories without attaching race to them, just as you would cover a store opening or new product line for a white person without mentioning their background, you can do the same for us. Do the work to find different voices and viewpoints, so that the same narrative is not being played over and over again - especially for young minds. Looking for an expert? I’ve started a weekly mailout to media outlets with topics and experts that can cover them. Let’s look at February as a way to kickstart the year long celebration and acknowledgement of Black History - “Elimu haina mwisho – Education never ends.”