8 ways to be less awful during Black History Month
Every Black History Month, I see the same depressing round of posts. People say things like: "because it's Black History Month, let's talk about anti-Black racism."
Okay. But…
If you're only talking about anti-racism now, does that mean you're only aware of racism for one month of the year?
Is talking ALL you're doing? Just chatting about racism is not the same as being anti-racist. Worse, it's a way of taking credit for seeming to be equitable. Then letting racism continue unchecked.
Are you super enthusiastic about anti-racism while #BlackLivesMatter is trending, but then you go silent? Your Black friends and colleagues are living through intensely traumatic times. They are constantly being re-traumatised by the violence of racist police brutality, and the violence of the media sharing graphic images and heartbreaking stories.
Is your temporary enthusiasm "allyship"? Or is it a perfomative gesture to make you feel better for letting white supremacy go unchallenged during the other 11 months of the year? 👀
If your commitment to anti-racism starts and stops this month, how can you possibly develop deep enough knowledge and self-awareness to dismantle white supremacy?
If you view anti-racism as a niche topic, how are you going to take action all year round?
Don’t wait for an awareness day
I know there are awareness days or months for everything.
But the same people who are posting "because" it's Black History Month are regularly talking about:
• sexism,
• mental health
• neurodivergence
• the climate crisis.
So where's that energy for anti-racism?
If you want to start to become actively anti-racist, here are a few places you could begin.
(To be clear, this article is not for my Black friends and colleagues. I'm speaking to non-Black people here, to encourage us to swap performativity for thoughtful action.)
Here are some things I've found helpful to make sure I'm learning and thinking about anti-racism all year round.
1. Learn from the experts
People with lived experience of racism are the experts.
But there’s a disturbing tendency for white people to happily learn about racism… but only from other white people. We praise them for their revelations - when they’re actually just repackaging the insights and expertise of people of colour. I’m doing it right now in this article.
Me? I have no expertise. The only people we should be listening to here are the people who actually experience racism.
Some books by brilliant thinkers that have influenced me the most include:
Natives, Akala
Me and White Supremacy, Layla F. Saad
The Good Ally, Nova Reid
So You Want to Talk About Race, Ijeoma Oluo.
There are hard copies or ebooks of all these books available for free in my local library. (If there are libraries where you live, you might be surprised what yours has.)
I've also found it helpful to learn about the invention of race. The best explainer I've come across is Khadjiah Diskin's 'What is race?' workshop for BAME Online, and her essays on privilege and racism.
Don't mistake learning about racism with taking action to dismantle it.
Reading helps you build knowledge.
But don't mistake learning about racism with actually taking action to dismantle it.
2. Know that racism is systemic
If we focus on whether individuals are racist or not racist, we buy into the myth of racism as interpersonal conflict. The myth of a few people being nice or nasty, or a few bad apples in an otherwise neutral institution. That’s not it.
Racism is a system of oppression. It operates on a massive scale. It makes itself look neutral or invisible, while it’s busy pumping out harmful outcomes like the school-to-prison pipeline, or racialised health inequalities.
And yes, a person can be more or less racist, like they can be more or less nice. But we mustn’t fall for the lie of personal niceness. We can be nice people, and still be deeply complicit in structural racism.
Wait, does that mean people just can be as racist as they want?
No, we should still call out individual behaviours. And learn to see our own racism, too.
Personally, I've found it helpful to:
Surround myself with people who will challenge me.
Develop a reflective practice (so I can spot my own racist actions)
Practise owning up to my own racism, so I can immediately change my behaviour.
There are lots of courses and programmes available to people who want to become anti-racist.
Get together with friends or colleagues to work your way through the actions in Layla F. Saad's Me and White Supremacy.
Sign up for a course like Racial Justice Network's Unlearning Racism course.
3. Pay anti-racism educators
There are so many anti-racism educators generously sharing their content online. But you can't expect minoritised people to educate you for free. Their work is exhausting and traumatic, so if you possibly can, pay them for their expertise.
One of my favourite resources is Sharon's anti-racism newsletter. There's a free version (which is also amazing) or you can pay $10 a month for clear, practical guidance to help you understand and dismantle white supremacy. One of the best things I spend money on (including food and heating).
If you hire anti-racism educators at your workplace, pay them properly. You're not asking a cybersecurity expert to work for pennies, are you?
Pay individual reparations, if you can. If you can't, learn about the need for reparations. The UK needs to make reparations too, not just the USA.
4. Challenge racist algorithms
Social media replicates the racism of broader society. For example, LinkedIn algorithm is racist (it removes and demote posts by racialised people about racism).
While commenting "great article" isn't anti-racist allyship, it is helpful to comment on, share and support Black people's social media posts about racism.
Or better, pay Black women for the exhausting work of educating people about misogynoir.
“In a racist society, it is not enough to be non-racist, we must be anti-racist.” — Angela Davis.
5. Abandon implicit bias
Personally, I have no time for "unconscious" or "implicit bias."
It lets too many of us off the hook completely, making us believe that systemic oppression - like racism - is natural and excusable.
Call it what it is: systemic oppression.
6. Say what you mean
Don't hide behind euphemisms like "diversity" or "ED&I." If you're talking about systemic racism, call it systemic racism.
Call it White supremacy. That's what it is.
7. Adjust your language
Changing your language is a cheap trick, if you're not taking meaningful action to dismantle White supremacy in your work and beyond.
So long as you're also taking concrete action, may I suggest you capitalise the B in "Black". 'Black' is a political identity that describes a racial/cultural group or individuals with a shared history and lived experience; it's more than a colour.
(I used to capitalise white, because I thought it important for white people to understand that race isn't something that only people of colour have. White isn't neutral. or default. But I’ve been told by Black and Global Majority friends that the capitalised w is associated with white supremacy. So I stopped).
8. Take action all year round
You don't get to use Black History Month, or the latest racist atrocity, to look anti-racist.
It should be an opportunity to:
Centre Blackness
We should be centring Blackness in everything we do, but Black History Month can act as a shared rallying point. As Alicia Walters says, we must centre Blackness in anti-racism work because "When we remove blackness from the bottom, everybody gets to be seen."
Centre Blackness. And do it all year round.
Centre Black women
As the Combahee River Collective said: "If Black women were free, it would mean that everyone else would have to be free since our freedom would necessitate the destruction of all the systems of oppression." Centre Black women. And do it all year round.
Share concrete progress
Share the concrete achievements you've made on tackling racism over the last year, like massively reducing racial pay disparities in your organisation. Because you're working on that, aren't you?
And do it all year round.
Spotlight Black talent
Collaborate with Black creators in your sector. I don't need to tell you this has to be paid.
And do it all year round.
Focus on Black history
Shed light on stories that are often forgotten or ignored (by white people).
And do it all year round.
Because if you're only tuning in while the hashtag is trending... then you’re taking what suits you, and leaving the oppression in place.
What action are you taking to unlearn racism? Let me know!