Black History Month will always be relevant
Acknowledging the reason for the season and the present-day Black social innovators creating profound change
Black History Month is a time for our nation to champion the historical leadership, cultural contributions and incredible innovations the African American community has imparted on our country. Yet, each year there is somewhat of a debate as to why the month is still relevant, centuries after slavery and decades after the civil rights movement.
A valuable thing to remember when pondering why Black History Month is still important, is that the observation of one culture is not the degradation of another. This month is about much more than confronting our nation’s past, it’s a chance for all cultures to celebrate all our nation enjoys because of the advancements of Black people.
When we grow comfortable with letting others be appreciated we, too, get to bask in that glow.
Acknowledging, too, the historical truth that most Black Americans’ ancestors did not choose to make America their home makes the month all the more important. Pausing once a year to acknowledge how the Black community not only survived, but profoundly contributed to American society is a reflection of respect and an opportunity for national reconciliation.
There have been many years in our nation’s past where Black leaders, culture creators and innovators were not acknowledged for their achievements; a truth that the film Hidden Figures brought to light this time last year. Black History Month is a time to sift through American history and call out those leaders, credit those artists and appreciate those scientific contributions. To join in this important time of reflection and acknowledgement, we’d like to highlight a few of the profound, Black social innovators of today’s time, so they don’t become our future “hidden figures.”
Felecia Hatcher, Co-Founder of BlackTech Week:
Felecia is a White House award-winning entrepreneur, an author, speaker and the Co-Founder of BlackTech Week. This month, BlackTech Week celebrated its fifth year in existence, bringing individuals together from across the country together to learn, network and support each other.
Hatcher created the conference to challenge minority underrepresentation in the technology industry. Disheartened by how few people of color she saw in her field, she launched BlackTech Week to provide a safe place to network, catalyze more Black-owned startups and inspire Black tech professionals (WLRN).
Tony Weaver Jr., Founder of Weird Enough Productions
Tony Weaver Jr. has a similar mission to combat underrepresentation. At just 22 years old, he founded a startup, Weird Enough Productions, to challenge stereotypes of African Americans in media and create inclusive content that encourages confidence in young people of color.
According to the young founder, the goal is to “not only change the types of media content being seen, but also change the minds of media consumers” (Forbes).
The production company sells comic books and posters featuring diverse superhero characters and offers an educational media literacy program for schools, Get Media L.I.T., to boost critical thinking, literacy levels and test scores.
“By using media content to change hearts, and media literacy education to change minds, we will turn the media landscape into the largest tool for positivity in the history of mankind” — Weaver
Nicole Lindsey and Timothy Paule, Founders of Detroit Hives
Aside from tech and media innovators, two Black social entrepreneurs are transforming their communities through agriculture. Nicole Lindsey and Timothy Paule founded Detroit Hives, a social enterprise that buys vacant lots in Detroit communities and transforms them into bee sanctuaries and community gardens.
“These properties are left abandoned and serve as a dumping ground in most cases,… a breeding ground for environmental hazards, which creates a stigma around the city” — Paule in a Huffington Post article.
After learning about the medicinal properties of honey and seeing the negative effects vandalized vacant lots had on the community, the two took courses to become certified beekeepers and started their first bee farm.
The founders use Detroit Hives to educate their neighborhood about environmental protection and the importance of bees, increase community involvement and transform vacant lots into clean and beneficial spaces for the community. They also produce raw honey that can be used for medicinal purposes, which they then donate to various homeless shelters in the area.
Now that Black History Month has come to an end, let’s challenge ourselves in the social impact sector to continue the inclusion by uplifting minority entrepreneurs and supporting the contributions of the different people around us.
Let’s celebrate how we’ve overcome as a nation and the diversity we were built on. When we grow comfortable with letting others express their light and be appreciated we, too, get to bask in that glow.
Sources:
>> Why This 22-Year-Old Founder Created A Company To Combat Media Misrepresentation, Forbes
>> Black Changemakers Are Using Bee Farms to Save Detroit Neighborhoods, Black Enterprise
>> BlackTech Week Brings Together Innovators, Entrepreneurs For Fifth Year in Miami, WLRN
>> Derrick Braziel: Breaking down barriers for Cincinnati’s entrepreneurs of color, Impact Alpha
>> 14 Social Entrepreneurs of Color Making History Through Social Innovation, Causeartist
>>https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/detroit-hives-honeybees_us_5a6cfc9ee4b0ddb658c7019c
