We all know someone — usually white, sometimes just white-passing — who is aggressively political about racial justice when it comes to Instagram infographics. The fight against racism is something she has a personal (and surprisingly aesthetically pleasing) stake in. She’s Sandra Bullock in The Blind Side. She’s the white savior who patronizingly over-explains what a white savior is. It’s Black history month my friends, and I have one hope: we will not be that girl this month.
This is a month created to celebrate the accomplishments and teach the history of the Black community. As non-Black people, it is essential for us to take an anti-racist stance; our privilege puts us in a position to better counter racist systems. But that does not mean we should overpower Black voices. This is a month to uplift others, not promote our own positive actions (no matter how badly you want to post that heartfelt black square, don’t do it!!).
So, how can we make Black History Month actually about the Black community? How can we turn the spotlight away from ourselves and onto the people who this month is really about?
We can start by educating ourselves! It’s so easy when we have such a wealth of information at our fingertips. Trade in a juicy romance novel for a non-fiction anti-racist work. Try out The New Jim Crow by Michelle Alexander, or Me and White Supremacy by Layla Saad. Even just supporting Black artists by reading books — fiction or non-fiction —written by Black authors is a step in the right direction.
For the social media girlies out there, we don’t have to be over-posting this month. Instead of promoting our own activism, we can promote and repost the posts of Black activists and creators. When we post too much of our own content at a time when Black creators are deserving of the spotlight, it takes away from them and skews the already racist TikTok and Instagram algorithm.
Whether it’s shopping at Black-owned businesses or donating to anti-racist organizations, there are many ways to be involved in Black History Month as a non-Black person without stealing the thunder from the Black community. So before you whip out your Instagram story to post a weird note about why Black History Month is so important to you, a non-Black person (why why why don’t people just get Twitter?), let a brain cell activate. Because guess what? It is not always about you. There are marginalized voices that we should uplift. Let’s try to be actively conscious of our choices and the people they affect this Black History Month.