Black History Month: A Final Charge

As #BlackHistoryMonth ends and my themed blog posts take their leave (RIP), I thought I'd try to end on a high note. This year, #BlackHistoryMonth has been... unexpected in more ways than one. Lots of ups and downs in the black community, but when it rained, it really poured for us. It only feels right to close everything off with some reflective thought and a reminder for why we should continue to celebrate #BlackHistoryMonth.

Welcome to #BlackHistoryMonth with Matthew

For the entire month of February all my blog posts have been centered on celebrating my brothers and sisters. From giving writing advice about how to write black characters to showcasing some amazing black content creators changing the game right now, I have pushed out fully black content all month long. Not to mention, for the limited time I uploaded twice a week instead of once. So, if you want to be all caught up, simply cick here: "#BlackHistoryMonth to see all the posts!

Why We Should Continue To Celebrate

I've heard a lot of black people question why we celebrate Black History Month in the first place. They say that it perpetuates our inferiority. By acknowledging the problem and placing such an emphasis on it, we are only extending the problem. I couldn't disagree more.

Black people, in the west, have been robbed of a lot. We really don't know where we come from, what our language should be, what gods we worshiped, how we lived, we know nothing about ourselves prior to slavery. The fact that mainstream history is told through a white-man's lens along with the colonization of the African continent and the enslavement of its people means that we are perhaps the most disenfranchised race in today's globalized world (alongside the Native/Indigenous people of the Americas). And because of that, we face a lot of antagonistic attacks, both within and outside of our community. If we did not take the time to celebrate who we are and embrace our culture, we would quickly become a product of the seasoning process after all: a race with no culture.

As long as people face race issues in society, we need #BlackHistoryMonth.

How We Can Celebrate

The primary ways we can celebrate #BlackHistoryMonth are simple. Let's start here:

1. Support our black creators. White creators already have so much visibility and we fight to gobble their content and clothing lines. But where's the intra-community support? Watch black movies. Read black movies. Buy clothes from black designers. Start that journey now: Click each of the pictures below to discover some new powerful black artists on my #BlackCreatorsSpotlight.

Fashion, Style and Content Marketing

Feminism, Lifestyle Changes, and Public Speaking

Poetry, Music and Honesty

2. Research about your culture. Whether your Caribbean or African-American, there is so much untapped knowledge out there and it's all literally at our fingertips. Take a minute and just google your history. I always remember the fact that there have been thousands, millions of people that have died for me to have the opportunities that I have today., for example, to be able to read and write and get an education. It would be doing all those people a grave injustice to live my life without making the most of these opportunities. Unlike other races, we were not handed these privileges. Blood had to be shed for where we are today.

3. Spread the Word. If you guys have seen Black Twitter in action you know that we can really get news going. It's incredible actually. But yes, make your friends (of any race) more knowledgeable, tell your family, tell your co-worker. If you say nothing you're admitting there's no problem.

Conclusion

All in all, that's it. I have nothing else to say or give for this #BlackHistoryMonth. I've extended myself as far as I can go so I can only hope you guys will click and make those changes.

If you liked my posts for #BlackHistoryMonth, hit that like button below (that little heart) and comment below telling me which post you liked the most!

You know the drill, don't forget to follow me on Twitter and Instagram where I occasionally rant, share music and discuss the pains of being a creator. Oh, also, I share sneak peeks of my novel and new blog posts at times too, if you're interested in that. Next week we'll go back to your regularly scheduled programming so watch out for that and I'll see you then, readers!