Black History Month, All Year Round

February 25, 2021 4 min read

Top Image: Lynette Yiadom-Boakye, The Hours Behind You, 2011

As a Black female entrepreneur, creative, and small business owner, I understand the importance of community, coming together, and showing up for one another. Oftentimes, small strides in the right direction can leave big impacts for a brighter path. Considering how essential Black History is to American History, we are definitely in the camp that appreciation and support for Black Culture is a year-round thing, and there is so much to celebrate and learn! If you're seeking ways in which you too can show up for Black communities and BIPOC, here are a few things I suggest. Keep scrolling for brands, creatives, and inspiring examples of Black Excellence that I personally love, and non-profits that you can support right now.

#freshupyourfeed: Inspiring Instagram accounts

Image: Castro NYC

@Castronyc

A creative like no other, Castro's unbelievable

one-of-a-kind treasures blow us away every time.

Image: Antwuan Sargent

@sirsargent

Antwuan Sargent, a stylish art critic and writer

is always turning us on to inspiring artists and creatives.

Image: The_UrbanHistorian

@the_urbanhistorian

A great source for African and African-American History,

compiled by writer and researcher Michael Hope.

Image: @Hereweeread

@hereweeread

This one's for the kids! Books focused on

diversity of all kinds, curated by working mom-of-two

and literacy advocate, Charnaie Gordon.

#BUYBLACK: Black-Owned Brands We Love

Image: Brother Vellies

Brother Vellies

Incredible designs, Incredible mission -

to keep traditional African traditions alive and

create sustainable artisanal jobs.Additionally,

founder Aurora James continues to inspire

with her game-changing 15% Pledge,

calling on major retailers to committo stocking

BIPOC-owned brands. Pieces from Brother Vellies

are splurges you can feel good about on so many levels.

Image: Dehiya

Dehiya

This Moroccan-inspired beauty brand

is all about the tools. Their signature Mihakka,

a traditional exfoliating tool, looks as good as it feels.

Image: Hyper Skin

Hyper Skin

Formulated to focus on hyperpigmentation

from sun spots, age spots, and blemishes,

Hyper Skin was founded by Desiree Verdejo

after her personal struggle with acne-related dark marks.

Image: Flamekeepers Hat Club

Flamekeepers Hat Club

You can never go wrong with a good hat

and Flamekeepers Hat Club, based in Harlem, NYC

has stylish ones in spades, as well as super cool

"conversation pieces" like this gorgeous silk pocket square.

#Netflixandchill: Powerful Films for nights in

Image: Amazon

One Night in Miami - (Amazon)

Seasoned Hollywood vet Regina King's directorial

debut hits right in the heart with her fictionalized retelling

of the true story of the fateful night Malcolm X,

Muhammad Ali, Jim Brown and Sam Cooke spent

together celebrating Ali's World Championship win in 1964.

Image: The Ringer

Judas and the Black Messiah (HBO)

The incredible true story behind the FBI's plot to bring down

Fred Hampton, the charismatic leader of the Chicago chapter

of the Black Panthers, which involved an undercover informant

posing as one of Hampton's most trusted deputies.

"She Had An Inside And An Outside Now And Suddenly She

Knew How Not To Mix Them," by Amy Sherald, 2018.

Black Art: In the Absence of Light

(HBO, free at this link)

Inspired by the late David Driskell’s landmark 1976 exhibition,

“Two Centuries of Black American Art,” the documentary

Black Art: In the Absence of Light offers an illuminating

introduction to the work of some of the foremost

Black visual artists working today.

#Onrepeat: My Heavy Rotation right now

Image: Arlo Parks

Arlo Parks, Collapsed in Sunbeams

Full of lyrics centering on mental health, the optimistic sonics

of Arlo Parks' calming voice and breezy instrumentationmakes

this album the perfect balance for these pendulum-swinging times.

image: Pink Sweats

Pink Sweats, Pink Planet

First of all, we always love a man who loves pink. But color

preferences aside, Pink Sweats' modernpop-inflected

RnB has us boppin all day. His voice is silky and his hooks are catchy.

Listening to his album feels like Friday,even when it's a regular ol' Tuesday.

Image: Discogs

Joseph Boulougne, Chevalier de Saint Georges

Giving us all the Bridgerton vibes (and fantastic for working

concentration music), this incredible virtuoso violinist

(as well as the first known classical music composer of African descent)

was the real toast of the town in Parisian society during the time of Mozart

- his charisma and popularity even rivaled the iconic composer,

as Chevalier de Saint Georges was much more established

during Mozart's early years. But his amazing music wasn't his only

achievement — Boulogne was a world-champion fencer,

and commanded the first unit of black soldiers in European history.

#giveback: Organizations to support

Image: The History Makers

The History Makers

So much important African-American greatness

has been overlooked or undertold, depriving

subsequent generations of knowledge of the excellence

that came before them. The History Makers

is on a mission to preserve the stories of

African American groundbreakers for all to learn from.

Image: The National Civil Rights Museum

The National Civil Rights Museum

Creating Exhibitions that continue to tell the story

of the ongoing fight for Civil Rights in America.

Image: Black Girls Code

Black Girls Code

Founded by Kimberly Bryant, to counter the dearth of women

in color in technology fields, Black Girls Code introduces

programming and technology programs to a new

generation of coders-pre-teen and teen girls of color.

Image: The Innocence Project

The Innocence Project

Founded 25 years ago, the Innocence Project exonerates

the wrongly convicted through DNA testing and reforms

the criminal justice system to prevent future injustice

Image: The Obama Foundation

My Brother's Keeper Alliance

Launched in 2014 by President Barack Obama,

My Brother's Keeper works to address persistent opportunity

gaps facing boys and young men of color and to

ensure all youth can reach their full potential.

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