Make A Change This Black History Month 2024

Four Steps for Centring and Celebrating Black History Every Day

How do we challenge racial inequity and centre justice in our everyday lives?
City Lit’s Dragana J. Ramsden suggests some key starting points…

October is Black History Month and 2024’s theme is ‘Reclaiming Narratives’. In other words, it’s about centering a more diverse range of voices, stories and perspectives, while decentering more culturally dominant ones. 

Black History Month is also a time to try to right the wrongs done to our fellow human beings. Plus it is a time to reflect on what we all of us could be doing to turn our anger at racism into actions that challenge complacency — not only during October but throughout the year. What can we intentionally and consistently do to avoid perpetuating the behaviours and assumptions that resulted in racial inequity in the first place?  

Challenging complacency can feel overwhelming. So where do we start? 

When I begin unpacking the pervasive nature of racial inequity, the task of intentionally and consistently challenging it starts to feel overwhelming. This is where those of us who are privileged enough not to have to think about the colour of our skin — for instance, when seeing a doctor or applying for a job — start realising that our language around and understanding of race may be limited. 

We start feeling paralysed by the fear that we’ll ‘get it wrong’. We start feeling ashamed of being part of a social system that gives certain people an advantage over others. While these feelings might not be surprising, it’s important not to let them overwhelm us to such a degree that we evade our shared responsibility to tackle complacency around race. 

Let’s just do it 

Let’s start this Black History Month by accepting that challenging racism is not a one-off campaign and neither is it a charitable cause. Instead, we need to see it as a long-term journey that is the personal responsibility of everyone. It begins by recognising that the hurtful effects of racial inequity on our Black or ethnically diverse students, colleagues, friends or communities is more prolonged and painful than our temporary discomfort at challenging it. 

We should also recognise how the intersection of race and other circumstances may make Black or ethnically diverse people’s lives even harder (for instance, if they are trans, neurodiverse or disabled). Nothing can justify the dehumanisation of a fellow human being and we can all play a role in challenging this. 

So let’s mark Black History Month 2024 by holding ourselves accountable. We shouldn’t expect Black and ethnically diverse communities to teach us, comfort us or make things better for us. Instead, it is up to each of us to be more intentional, both about how we mark Black History Month and about how we challenge racial inequity throughout the whole year. 

Four ways to make a change this Black History Month

1. Slow down your thinking — and listen

While there is an urgent need for action and change, the starting point for this is actually slowing down your thinking. Why? Because this is a well-researched and documented method for combating our instinctive and biased reactions. So, next time you are speaking to someone about their experiences as a Black or ethnically diverse person, focus on listening — truly listening — instead of busily thinking about how to respond. 

Be intentional in hearing and believing others’ experiences, even if they are very different to yours. Commit to listening, even though you may feel uncomfortable. Feelings of discomfort can also arise if you realise that you may have contributed to the person’s negative experiences. Slowing down your thinking will help you to become aware of any personal implicit biases that could be contributing to our culture of racial inequity.

2. Dig deeper, look closer, think bigger    

If you are only surrounded by people who look like you, talk like you and have similar experiences as you, then this may limit what you know and understand about the world. So why not expose yourself to people, podcasts, books, courses or music that centre diverse cultures and experiences? Black History Month 2024 has many interesting resources around this.

Be willing to ask new questions and explore different perspectives on race, gender or sexual orientation. You’ll get better at recognising the richness of experiences — as well as the multiple challenges — held within identities different to yours. In the words of Black History Month’s mission statement, ‘Dig deeper, look closer, think bigger’.

3. Notice and call out microaggressions 

A microaggression is a statement or action that expresses subtle or unintentional prejudice. This could take the form of an offhand comment or “joke”.

In recent research by Race Equality Matters (REM), 89% of people said they would want to challenge microaggressions but only 16% felt that they are regularly called out. So why not start by familiarising yourself with microaggressions and then practising your responses? It might feel daunting at first but with practice, you will get better at challenging prejudiced behaviour.

REM suggests #It’sNotMicro solutions as simple as saying ‘Could you help me understand what you meant by that comment?’ after someone makes a prejudiced remark. Remember, you are not a rescuer taking away the voice of Black or ethnically diverse individuals facing microaggressions — you are just using your privilege to tackle the impact of this and provide support.

4. Get past feelings of discomfort

It is not easy to challenge our own complacency. It may make us feel uncomfortable to recognise that we don’t know it all and may need to get better at stepping up. However, we shouldn’t place our own emotional responses at the centre of things. Instead, we can aim to centre care, respect and fairness towards others. So, before you get caught up in your feelings and insecurities, remember the painful and prolonged impact of racial inequity, then commit to becoming an ally.      

It’s okay to feel vulnerable or out of your depth at times — that’s completely normal. But by committing to expanding your awareness of racial inequality, you will be helping to shift our society away from prejudice and into a fairer future for all. The work that we all put into this will be critical. 

Black History Month is about more than October — join City Lit in making a lasting change

This October, City Lit is showcasing a wide range of courses centring Black cultures in Britain and worldwide. 

If you’re a member of the City Lit team then get involved with our Black History Month 2024 training and events. Sign up for our Inclusive Curriculum webinar, take up a Five-Day Challenge, attend anti-racism training or join our conversation about race.