Keep Black History Month present beyond February

Black History Month 2023 comes to a close today. I encourage you to find ways to keep learning throughout the year. Without a clear understanding of our history and acceptance that it includes systemic racism, we cannot effectively dismantle it.

Have you watched the 1619 Project series on Hulu yet? I’m in the middle and really impressed. Here are a few other resources I recommend to you:

• If you’ve already watched Ava Duvernay’s 13th on Netflix, it is well worth a second (and third) viewing. It pulls the threads together between slavery and the post-Civil War oppressions like segregation, convict leasing and mass incarceration.

• The author of Caste, Isabel Wilkerson, wrote another sweeping history back in 2010 about the Great Migration. The Warmth of Other Suns deepens the American narrative so that the “pioneers” going west to settle the plains isn’t the only epic journey that made our nation what it is today. The massive movement of Black Americans from the rural south to the northern cities represented equal bravery, endurance, determination, and humanity.

• And to connect our history to today’s challenging discourse on race and racism, I recommend Robert Livingston’s The Conversation. From the cover of the book: “How seeking and speaking the truth about racism can radically transform individuals and organizations.” Dr. Livingston’s talent of sharing research and theory through stories is powerful and accessible.

And if you’re an organizational leader, be sure to keep amplifying the stories and voices of Black people on your team. They’re making history every day.