Is your charity actually ready for Black History Month?
Black History Month starts today - and if the only thing that changes is your content calendar, it's worth asking who it's really for.
If you're saying nothing about racism the other eleven months of the year, showing up in October isn't representation. It's a performance of it.
I learned this the hard way. Years ago, when a moment of racial injustice put pressure on organisations everywhere to speak up, I got real pressure from my CEO and Comms Director to post a black square. I pushed back. We'd never said anything on racism or in support of the Black community before that moment. Our content wasn't diverse, our staff was majority white. Posting a black square wouldn't have said anything - it would've just made us look like we had.
And it's hard to ignore that this October lands in a very different climate. Reform UK's rise, tightening rules on Indefinite Leave to Remain, a louder and more open hostility towards migrants in public life - none of it happens in a vacuum, and none of it is separate from how safe Black and brown people feel in this country, charity staff included.
If the backdrop feels heavier this year, that's because it is. It makes doing this properly - not performing it - matter more, not less.
Same goes for Black History Month. If you've got no skin in the game the other eleven months, don't mark it in October just because it's on the calendar.
If you do want to earn that right, here's where to start:
Check in on whether Black staff genuinely feel represented and celebrated - not just asked to contribute in October
Ask what the month actually means to them, rather than assuming
Look at who gets promoted and heard internally, not just who gets featured in your content
Be honest about whether you've actually addressed racism and institutional racism within your organisation, or just avoided the conversation
Don't put the burden of educating everyone else on your Black staff
Pay Black speakers, creators and contributors properly - don't ask for free labour
Because a post means very little if:
Black staff don't feel valued the rest of the year
you're asking people to work for free in October and nothing more the other eleven months
Black history gets flattened into one quote or one figure
If you only show up in October, you're not really showing up at all. Representation isn't a one-off post. It's a decision you keep making, all year round.
