1.Support a Black owned business
A simple way to give back and honor Black lives, starts by shopping at your local Black owned business. Buy your Valentine’s Day gifts there, leave a generous tip and promote their business on your social media. The more people know about the business the more support they are receiving.
2. Donate money or time to a Black organization
If you want to donate money or time towards a Black organization, check out Charity Navigator. There you can find many different Black organizations ranging from health, culture, civil rights or community development. No matter the amount that you give, it is the thought that counts towards helping our communities.
3. Learn from Black educators
If you are a student or wanting to get educated on certain history, culture or movements surrounding Black lives, reach out to a Black educator. Listen, take notes and study their lectures. The more informed we are and the more we listen to our Black educators, the more awareness we can spread and share.
4. Support Black creatives in your hometown
There are many talented people in our hometowns that are working to get their art or services out in the open. Look for photographers, bakers, models or influencers that you could promote or book.
5. Support Queer Black Folks
Find organizations, seminars or podcasts that support queer Black folks. Learn and unlearn about history, movements and culture that can help our fellow queer folks.
6. Purchase and Read books by Black authors
Take a day off and visit your local library or Barnes and Noble to purchase novels written by Black authors. Find poetry books, history books or recipe books to discover or gift to friends or family.
7. Learn about the Black Lives Matter movement
Take some time out of your routine to listen and learn about BLM. What is this movement? How can I support it? How can I give back to BLM organizations or charities near me? There are endless YouTube videos and podcasts that can educate us about this movement.
8. Understand the stereotypes and micro-aggressions Black people have and continue to face in America
The best way to begin to learn and unlearn about these topics is by doing some research. Starting with reading books, articles, listening to podcasts or watching documentaries. It is a baby step to understanding these topics.
9. Learn about Black musicians and their impact on society
Music is all around us and little do people know the different genres that Black people created. Genres like House, Rap, Jazz, R&B and Rock n Roll are a few that were started by Black artists and creatives.
10. Inform your friends and family about Black History Month
The more you vocalize for Black issues, movements and lives the more people are in the loop of things. These topics are great to expand our knowledge and awareness for Black History.
11. Visit a local Black History Museum
If you like to be around art and read about history, try researching local museums that display Black history. You can make it into a road trip, a date or a self-care day for yourself. What better way to educate yourself and do something fun at the same time?
12. Invite friends over to make an authentic recipe
For anyone who likes to try out new dishes or make new recipes this one is a great starting point. Look for recipes by Black authors, Youtube content creators or influencers that you could try out.
13. Watch films celebrating Black lives
A few films you can watch during the month of February are Soul (Disney+), Really Love ( Netflix), The Photograph (HBO Max) or Becoming (Netflix).
14. Listen more, talk less when Black people vocalize their thoughts and ideas.
Throughout the years I have learned to talk less and listen more to others. As simple as it seems, it can be hard for people to really listen to what Black folks are saying. The more we sit down and listen to people talk about their ideas, thoughts, goals or micro-aggression the more we can educate ourselves and others.
15. Celebrate Black Lives every day, not just in February
Just because its February does not mean that we will only honor and educate ourselves on Black history. This isn’t a trend, a hype movement or a hashtag. This is a part of our history as a whole. Black History is American history.