8 ways to be less awful during Black History Month

It's Black History Month, and I'm pissed off.

I've seen a lot of posts from people saying "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 in October, 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?

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 ideas how.

1. Learn from the experts

People with lived experience of racism are the experts.

But there’s a worrying tendency for White people to happily learn about racism… 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. But I have no expertise, and the only people we should be listening to here are the people who actually experience racism.

Some thinkers and books I've learned the most from 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.

Reading helps you build knowledge. But don't mistake learning about racism with actually taking action to dismantle it.

Don't mistake learning about racism with taking action to dismantle it.

2. Learn to see racism in action

Learning what racism is? Just a starting point.

You need to be able to see it in your own and others' behaviour. 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.

➡️ 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

The 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. Go beyond implicit bias

Personally, I have no time for "unconscious" or "implicit bias." If you're not going to acknowledge this is about systemic oppression, why bother?

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.

(Personally, I also capitalise White. I think it's important for White people to understand that race isn't something that only people of colour have. White isn't neutral. or default. Some people argue that this reinforces White nationalist identities - I'm open to changing this. Let me know what you think).

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!