Bemoaning the Performative White Centering of Black History Month — Linked Inclusion™ :: A virtual platform-based community of individuals facing the common challenges of exclusion :: Diversity And Inclusion Training | Online Diversity And Inclusion Certification | Best Resources For Diversity And Inclusion | Equity Training In The Workplace | Wellness Training For Employees

Every year, it’s the same old, same old. Whether you’re talking about Black History Month in February in the US or in October in the UK, there’s a tried and true approach that has many Black people rolling their eyes.

That’s because it’s totally performative.

Here’s what happens. All of a sudden, the Black people who spend most of the year hidden from sight are trotted out into the public eye, to “prove” a company’s diversity credentials. They’re on the team page, they’re on social media, they’re speaking at company events. Yet, if you were to ask most of those people, they’re still experiencing microaggressions and reduced opportunity behind the scenes.

All of a sudden, companies that are whiter than white start producing ads with people of varying ethnicities, showcasing a rainbow coalition that doesn’t truly exist. They start creating window displays draped in Kente cloth or, even worse, wearing it themselves. All of this is devoid of even the slightest bit of appreciation for the cultural significance of that cloth, or for any of the traditions they are blithely appropriating.

In many ways, corporate Black History Month initiatives serve to make company leadership feel good about “how much” they are doing, and how they are “helping and supporting” the communities they ignore for most of the rest of the year. In many cases, these don’t translate into lasting, meaningful action. At the end of the month, leaders just pack the performance away till it’s time to bring it out again the following year. That kind of "action" centers the comfort of white leaders, but it doesn't do much for their Black and Brown employees.

When you look behind the veil, where’s the evidence of corporate activism, or employee resource groups that have a real chance to make a difference? And where’s the evidence of a full program of Black speakers and speakers who face isms integrated into your speaker, event and education programs all year round? If you are booking on January 31 for Black History Month speakers in February, not only are you too late, but it’s pretty disrespectful.

And where’s the evidence that your Black colleagues are being supported, rather than having to spend unpaid time educating white colleagues and bearing a double emotional burden at the time of their greatest trauma? Where do company leaders extend the grace for them to “call in Black” when the burden of white supremacy gets to be too much to bear.

As a Black woman, I honor and celebrate Black history and culture all year round. I work for equity all year round. And I’m not a part of the group that started racism. If you are, is it too much to ask for year round activity from you?

Sharon Hurley Hall (she-her) is an anti-racism activist, writer, and educator. Firmly committed to doing her part to eliminate racism, she is the Founder and Curator-in-Chief of Sharon’s Anti-Racism Newsletter. In this twice-weekly online publication, Sharon writes about existing while Black in majority-white spaces, and amplifies the voices of other anti-racism activists. She has written and ghostwritten articles for companies and non-profits looking to show up authentically with their DEIB and JEDI content. To keep up with her latest content and appearances, follow Ms. Hurley Hall on LinkedIn.

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