Black History Month is an annual celebration of achievements by African Americans and a time for recognizing their central role in U.S. history. 2023’s national theme — Black Resistance (BHM Themes) — explores how African Americans have addressed historic and ongoing disadvantage and oppression, as evidenced by recent events. Black History Month has been and still can be a force for better understanding and inclusion.  

DO:

• Attend:
  • NY Live:  February 16th, 2023 – Black History Month celebration at the Schomburg Center, 515 Malcolm X Blvd, New York, NY  Harlem Chamber Players
  • NY Live: February 17-19, 2023 – Remembering: The annual program that celebrates Black History, returns to commemorate the 60th anniversary of Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King’s March on Washington through dance, theater and video projection. BAM, Brooklyn Tickets Here
  • LA Live – February 19th, 2023 – The 6th Annual Black History Month Festival at the Michelle and Barack Obama Sports Complex Register Here
  • NY Live – February 24-26, 2023: The Harlem Fine Arts Show, 15th Anniversary Celebration: Celebrating Art and Culture in America at The Glasshouse
  • Virtual: February 28, 2023 “Bet on Black: The Good News about Being Black in America Today” Chat with Eboni K Williams – Virtual event hosted by ColorComm: Register Here
  • Our Black Experience: Stories From Black Women Photographers: Feb 2 – Feb 26. RSVP here, and find more info on the exhibition here.

• Follow/Utilize: 
  • @BlackSpeakersCollection’s database of Black thought leaders across a vast selection of categories.  (Click here for database and here to follow on LinkedIn) 

DOWNLOAD 

• Listen:
  • Season 2 of Being Seen Podcast — The barbershop. Representation in Hollywood. Masculinity, through the eyes of the trans masculine community. Finding spaces where we can inhabit shared visions of freedom. The second season of Being Seen, hosted by award-winning author and advocate Darnell Moore, features conversations with award-winning guests including Steven Canals, Colman Domingo, Keiynan Lonsdale, Shangela, Kalen Allen, and more.
  • Code Switch Podcast – Hosted by journalists of color, this podcast tackles the subject of race with empathy and humor. Check out the 2/8 episode: Reckoning with the NFL’s Rooney Rule. 
  • Town Hall: A Black Queer Podcast – hosted by Bob the Drag Queen and Peppermint, this podcast explores what it means to live authentically as Black and queer and the implications of intersectional identities in today’s social climate. Each episode shares stories, music, poetry, and art of varying depth and hilarity.

• Read: 
  • Black Imagination: Black Voices on Black Futures —  “Witnessing is sacred work too. Seeing ourselves as whole and healthy is an act of pure rebellion in a world so titillated by our constant subjugation,” reflects viral curator Natasha Marin, on Black Imagination. This dynamic collection of Black voices works like an incantation of origin, healing, and imagination. 
  • Filmmaker and Activist Tourmaline on How to Freedom Dream reflect on the power of imagining open futures for transgender people through the power of “freedom dreaming.
  • Zeba Blay’s Carefree Black Girls: A Celebration of Black Women in Popular Culture
  • Stories from the Tenants Downstairs by Sidik Fofana 
  • ‘The Blackest Book Club’ Reading List – a powerful and inspiring collection of stories, poems, and essays from Black creatives and writers.
  • Education on Systemic Race Challenges within Law Enforcement
    • The origins of modern day policing 
    • Solving racial disparities in policing
• Watch: 
  • Masterclass Series – Black History, Black Freedom, and Black Love – Check out this three part series available for free on Masterclass and Prime Video this month. 
  • The 1619 Project [Hulu]

DONATE 

• Support Tyre Nichols Tyre Nichols was loved by his community and was known to be gentle, kind, and joyful. He loved skating and was originally from the Bay Area in California. Donations raised will help support the mental health of the family and fund a new skate park in Tyre Nichol’s name.
• Support Color of Change Organization helps to design campaigns powerful enough to end practices that unfairly hold Black people back, and champion solutions that move us all forward.
• Push Black: Nation’s largest non-profit media organization for Black Americans

• Campaign Zero: Launched in 2015 as a research-based platform to move to an understanding of public safety beyond policing.

VOLUNTEER

• Center for Racial Justice In Education (Bronx, NY): Sign Up HERE
• The Audre Lorde Project (Brooklyn, NY): Sign Up HERE
• Black Women Lead (Los Angeles, CA): Sign Up HERE

SUPPORT 

• Mental Health Access
  • BEAM Collective [Black Emotional & Mental Health] is an organization dedicated to healing, wellness and libration of Black and marginalized communities. They maintain the Black Virtual Wellness Directory. 

• The Loveland Foundation Therapy Fund provides financial assistance to Black women and girls seeking therapy nationally, to help break some of the barriers affecting access to treatment. 
• Therapy for Black Girls is dedicated to encouraging the mental wellness of Black women and girls. 

• Support Black Artists and Designers 

• The Black Artists and Designers Guild creates opportunities for members to thrive and reach out to industry allies to support the great work of visionary Black artists and designers.

• Support Black Women and Non-binary Photographers, Videographers, and Cinematographers

Black Women Photographers disrupts the notion that it is difficult to discover and commission Black creatives by providing a global community, directory, and hub of over 1,500 Black women and non-binary photographers committed to increasing access to professional and paid opportunities for Black creatives around the world.