10 Mistakes Companies Make When Celebrating Black History Month
It’s here!
It’s February, and as #BlackHistoryMonth trends on our feeds for 29 days this year, people around the country are finding ways to celebrate.
In fact, Black History Month (BHM) has been celebrated in neighborhoods, schools, and churches around the United States since its inception over one hundred years ago. Since then, February has become a time to step back and reflect on the turbulent history and powerful contributions of the Black community.
And increasingly, workplaces are beginning to get in on the action.
Which is exciting because Black history provides the context within which underrepresentation, discrimination, and prejudice grew and matured in America. An examination of slavery, Jim Crow laws, and other racial injustices can serve to remind us of the dangers associated with all forms of oppression, and the acknowledgment of Black leaders and culturally influential Black artists can build an appreciation for diversity and inclusion in all domains.
Companies that are interested in building inclusive workplaces are doing the work this February. They’re hosting events, bringing in speakers, and creating opportunities to engage in the rich history of Black America. When there are still so many workplaces that don’t acknowledge BHM, it is important to recognize the companies that do and commend them for their efforts.
However, it is also important to note that many of those companies might still be making several mistakes, mistakes that are common but luckily quite fixable. Here are 10 mistakes companies often make when celebrating BHM and how they can go about fixing them:
1. Throwing Something Together Last Minute
Although something is better than nothing, when companies celebrate BHM in a way that seems rushed or haphazard, they run the risk of sending the wrong message, a message that communicates the celebration and the community is more of an afterthought than an imperative.
Companies should plan the scope of their approach to BHM thoughtfully, as a part of their broader strategic plan for employee engagement, diversity, and inclusion.
2. Assuming It’s Just for the Black Employees
BHM festivities may include events and opportunities that are just for the Black employees at your company. However, BHM also offers an opportunity to involve all employees in a celebration of the culture and the history of what it means to be Black in America.
When companies neglect to involve all of their employees in at least some of the planned events, they miss out on a chance to start important conversations and highlight experiences and contributions that everyone should be aware of.
Similarly, the work involved in planning and delivering events for BHM should not be the sole responsibility of the Black employees in your company. For many, months like these can become very stressful when all of the planning is left to just a few employees who still have to do their actual jobs. BHM, like all diversity and inclusion initiatives, should ultimately be a company-wide effort.
Black History Month, like all diversity and inclusion initiatives, should ultimately be a company-wide effort.
3. Not Elevating the Voices of Those From the Community
Many companies that celebrate BHM forget to make space to incorporate the voices of those in their Black employee community, but in many ways, that’s what BHM is all about.
So, what does this look like? Here are just a few ideas.
Surveying the Employee Resource Group (ERG): Before and after the month, leaders can survey the Black ERG to get an understanding of what they would like to see during BHM and what can be improved in the future.
Spotlighting Black Employees: Identify and amplify the work and/or professional stories of Black employees in company newsletters or internal bulletin boards, including those in leadership positions who may continue to inspire others in your organization.
Storytelling Event with a BHM Theme: Storytelling is a great way to build a more inclusive workplace. Creating a storytelling event can generate a sense of inclusivity while elevating the voices of the Black community within your company.
Offer Recognition to Those Who Plan: BHM is a great time to recognize those who have stepped up to lead the planning of the events and the ERG, especially those who are also juggling their everyday responsibilities.
4. Celebrating Publicly, But Not Internally
Companies will sometimes post BHM proclamations on their social media or will add a picture with a caption that mentions BHM to their website, which is great! However, if those companies are not backing up their public claims with internal action, their efforts may seem futile at best and deceptive at worst.
Luckily, like all of the mistakes listed here, this is fixable.
If a company is genuinely serious about diversity and inclusion, its leaders can reference articles like this one and the many others that have been published about BHM to improve their internal efforts.
5. Celebrating Internally, But Not Publicly
This may seem less obvious, but if companies are doing great work internally, they should share what they’re doing externally.
A good example of this can be found in Salesforce, a company that has written about its BHM celebrations in its company blog, has posted large visible images in the lobby of its office building, and has supported its employee resource group for Black employees, BOLDforce, by encouraging all employees to share what they’re doing this month through social media hashtags.
When companies do great work internally, it’s important that they contribute to the conversation externally. It not only attracts potential talent seeking a supportive and inclusive workplace. It also sets an example for other companies and helps offer ideas to those who are interested in diversity initiatives but aren’t sure where to start.
6. Not Recognizing the Complexity of the Black Community
Let’s talk about Blackness.
The experience of being Black in America is not one-dimensional. For starters, thanks to the wide, forced disbursement of African people across the Americas during the African diaspora, not all Black people in America are African American. Some can trace their family’s history of enslavement to the Caribbean or Latin America. Still others and/or their families immigrated more recently and voluntarily directly from the African continent.
The experience of being Black in America is not one-dimensional.
For this, and many other reasons, to assume that the experiences Black people in the United States are the same for every Black person is a true mistake.
No, one person cannot speak on behalf of the group and no, not everyone eats the same food or comes from the same neighborhoods. Companies that don’t take the time to acknowledge these nuances and see a group of individuals as just that (a group of unique individuals with a powerful collective history), are doing Black employees a disservice.
7. Just Celebrating Well-Known Black Leaders
Martin Luther King was a great leader and an impressive orator.
Rosa Parks was an incredibly brave and influential activist.
Harriet Tubman, a true American hero.
All of the statements above are not to be disputed. In fact, all of the people who have become hallmarks of BHM are worthy of such attention. However, so are the multitudes of Black leaders dead and alive who have impacted this country with their greatness. That includes the accomplishments in film, music, literature, academia, technology, fashion, and athleticism that Black people have achieved in this country.
Companies can take the time to acknowledge leaders beyond the handful we hear about every year. In doing so, companies recognize how expansive the impact of Black people has been.
8. Not Involving Black-Owned Businesses
BHM presents an opportunity to celebrate the history of the Black community but through that celebration, companies can invest in Black businesses. Here are some ways they can do this:
Order catering services for an event from a Black-owned restaurant
Enlist the help of a Black-owned company to create swag and apparel for the month’s celebrations
Host an expo or marketplace in an accessible place at the office featuring local black-owned businesses
There are many things that can be done, so if a company is willing to invest in the cost of BHM celebrations, might as well send use some of those dollars to a support black-owned company at the same time.
9. Only Celebrating Black History Month
BHM is important, but to build inclusivity in the workplace, there are many other months a company can and should celebrate. Womyn’s History Month, LGBTQ+ Pride Month, Latinx History Month… the list goes on.
Additionally, finding time to honor the many communities in your workplace throughout the year whether they have a dedicated month or not is important too. Many companies see the benefits of diversity in their workplaces when they work with their teams to celebrate a diversity communities across the company through the course of the whole year, which brings me to my last mistake…
10. Confining the Celebration to Just One Month
Many studies have shown that acknowledging diversity in a workplace is better than not acknowledging diversity. In fact, in a 2003 study, Jennifer A. Richeson and Richard J. Nussbaum found that “the ‘colorblind’ perspective generated greater automatic racial bias” in the work environments they studied.
That’s why celebrating Black employees for just one month isn’t enough. BHM is a fun and special time, but to harness the power of an inclusive workplace, work environments cannot afford to be “colorblind” the other eleven months of the year.
And if companies can avoid the nine other mistakes listed here, they’ll be well positioned to effectively support all of their employees.
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