Black History Month: I understand the criticism of championing ‘The Black Church’ but I also think it’s important

On the final day of Black History Month, Woman Alive’s editor Tola-Doll Fisher reflects on the month and what it marks.

As Black History Month comes once more to an end, I’ve been wondering about the impact it is actually having. According to the ever-reliable Wiki, Black History Month is:

An annual observance originating in the United States, where it is also known as African-American History Month. It has received official recognition from governments in the United States and Canada, and more recently has been observed in Ireland and the United Kingdom. It began as a way of remembering important people and events in the history of the African diaspora.

I was still Black as a child 30 years ago but I don’t recall anyone celebrating my ethnicity back then. It’s intriguing then, as an adult to see how people and companies use the month of October to show… what? Solidarity? Alignment? Support? My Black friends working in white-majority organisations in the UK speak of BHM posters and stickers strategically placed in public spaces, presumably to let Black staff know that their lives are considered. Obviously Black lives matter as do the lives of all people of other ethnicities and cultural backgrounds. I occasionally wonder how they might be feeling about not having a designated time of celebration. Or perhaps they don’t care?