Whew! 5 Lessons Learned During This Struggle Black History Month

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Black History Month was a mess this year.

But with every trial, a necessary lesson can be learned and considering the downfalls of this February, there’s A LOT to learn.

Fortunately, I narrowed it down to five lessons in hopes that future Black History Months will be brighter for the future generation.

From racist clothing to alleged hate crimes, hit the next pages to find out what BHM taught us this year!

1. Your Fav Might Be Racist

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On the first day of Black History Month, teachers could barely get their Black excellence doors up before the foolishness began.

Acclaimed actor Liam Neeson started the month off by sharing that he once went looking for a “Black bastard” to kill in retaliation for a friend who was raped.

Neeson’s confession sent shockwaves throughout the media, and just when he had a chance to explain himself on Good Morning America, he failed to acknowledge that his sentiments were racists even though his anger might’ve subsided over the year.

Liam’s situation demonstrated just how clueless White people can be about the various ways racism shows up in all aspects of life, from the interpersonal to the structural. Liam might’ve been stealing hearts in Schindler’s List or giving us life in Taken, but clearly, he didn’t understand how White terror on Black communities can have devastating consequences.

Sadly enough, Liam is not the only person who’s probably had these thoughts. Another one of your White favs, whether a celebrity or someone you know personally, could’ve had a history of racism, and this is a tension we’ll have to process if we want to make moves towards ending the disease.

Which leads us to our next lesson…

2. Politicians? They Be Racist Too…No Matter The Party

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Like…

This shouldn’t be a surprise, considering the disproportionate number of Black people in office vs. White people.

But damn…

2019 made it real clear.

Democratic Governor Ralph Northam kicked off the racism in politics tour when photos from his 1984 Eastern Virginia Medical School yearbook surfaced. In one photo, one man in blackface stands beside a guy in a Ku Klux Klan costume under a page labeled with Northam’s name.

At first, Northam apologized for the photo, even though he said he couldn’t remember if he was the Ku Klux Klan member or the guy in blackface.

Then, he went on to say that it wasn’t him in the photo at all, but Northam did darken his skin once for a Michael Jackson look.

Either way, the moves weren’t cute and many people were calling on Northam to resign.

Add to this a wife who thought it was cool to pass out cotton to Black kids during a talk about slavery, and you have a politician who has the people of Virginia divided.

And this was just Act I of the racism in politics tour (inconveniently held during Black History month). Next on the line-up was…

– Democratic Attorney General Mark Herring having a blackface history.

– Democratic Maryland Delegate Mary Ann Lisanti calling a mostly Black county the “Ni**er District”

– Plus the more discrete acts of racism some politicians carrying out every day

Watch who you’re voting for.

3. Black Business Matter

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Considering Gucci’s influence on hip hop culture, you’d think the fashion brand would be sensitive to Black representation.

But nope.

The clothing brand caused outrage when it was revealed that they had a sweater on their site resembling blackface.

The item felt like one big slap in the face to Black people, considering the constant melanated Gucci promotion via songs like “Gucci Bandanna,” “I’m Gucci,” and more.

But oh how the big brands underestimate Black dollars.

Many Black celebs called for a boycott of Gucci, and even Dapper Dan, who’s worked with Gucci many times before, demanded the company take accountability for their actions.

But is this enough?

While you’re thinking about it, here’s some Black luxury brands you can stress-shop with.

4. Diversity Doesn’t Always Equal Structural Change (Ahem…Oscars!)

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It’s easy to say what happened with Gucci is a result of Black people not being in the board room.

But unfortunately, diversity doesn’t always mean structural change.

The Oscars is a prime example of this.

In 2016, #OscarsSoWhite slammed the Oscars for its majority White nominees, forcing the Academy to make plans at doubling their diversity by the year 2020.

According to The New York Times, out of the new invitees to the Academy in 2018, 30 percent were people of color, and at the 91st Academy Awards in February, Black folks represented a lot of the big wins for the night.

However, a major upset came when Green Book won Best Picture — a movie that has been criticized for being a White savior film and disrespectful to the Black musician it was based on.

You’d think with how diverse Hollywood is allegedly becoming, the White savior narratives would die down, or at least not by showered with prestigious awards.

However, Green Book‘s win on Oscar night proves there’s a lot more to be done in Hollywood and creative spaces that don’t just involve diversity.

Questions that are just as important are who has the authority to tell a story? Are their power dynamics at play that decenter a marginalized group? Also, who’s getting paid off of Black narratives?

Questions that need answers.

5. Stay Woke

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Jussie Smollett sent chills through many people’s hearts when he said he was the victim of a racist and homophobic attack back in January.

Almost a month later, the Chicago Police Department announced that Jussie allegedly staged his attack by paying two brothers $3,500 to be his assailants. They say the reason he staged it was because he was “dissatisfied with his salary” as an actor and entertainer. He was charged with one count of felony disorderly conduct for filing a false police report, which could carry up to three years in prison plus fines.

Since the CPD’s announcement on February 29, more info has surfaced that could complicate the case even more, including a photo of the $3,500 check Jussie paid the brother that says the money was for a nutrition and workout plan, rather than a staged attack.

Old homophobic tweets also surfaced that were allegedly made by one of the brothers. It was later deleted as soon as the press brought attention to it.

The story and case are still ongoing.

But one thing’s for certain…

Whether Jussie lied or not, this is bigger than Jussie.

Over the past few years, hate crimes have increased in America, according to the FBI, and these are only the ones that have been reported.

Black LGBT people are especially vulnerable to violence.

Will Jussie’s lies or non-lies change these facts.

No.

If Jussie, a Black gay man, lied for money, it would be reprehensible, but it won’t necessarily cause further harm to Black LGBT people in the same way that bigots, the government and say, the CPD, have done historically.

These are all things to consider as we leave Black History Month and we move forward with Jussie’s case.

Always stay conscious, stay informed on who has the power and who doesn’t, and though sleep is wonderful…

Always stay woke.