Sharing in culture helps us to understand and appreciate one another. Black History Month is an important time when we celebrate and recognize diverse backgrounds. It’s an opportunity to reflect on the struggles and successes of those who have come before us, as well as recognize the contributions made by members of the African-American community. By coming together to honor the past, we can continue to look to the future understanding how diversity of thought is critical to an inclusive society. Black History Month is a time for everyone to focus energy on progress and the continued fight for equality. Through sharing and celebrating, we can strive to create a better future together. Here are some ways companies celebrated Black History Month and how you can implement them into your business or everyday life. Spread culture through art Art is like an unspoken language and can make us feel certain ways. Sharing culture through things such as art helps us garner a better understanding of those around us. This article shows many amazing ways companies have been celebrating Black History month, but to highlight one company: Google created the Image Equity Fellowship to help spread culture through art while empowering emerging artists. By partnering with three nonprofit organizations—Aperture, For Freedoms, and Free The Work—Google provided an incredible opportunity to 20 deserving artists. The fellowship provided beneficiaries with unlimited access to financial resources, hands-on mentoring, and educational workshops. This allowed the fellows to enhance their professional development and grow their artistic practices. The fellowship aimed to provide more equitable access to resources for artists who are often underrepresented in the art world. The fellowship also provided a platform for these artists to showcase their work to a larger audience on Google and receive recognition for their achievements. The program also sought to raise awareness of the need for more diversity in the art world and promote culture. Volunteer your business's expertise Volunteering with your business's expertise is a fantastic way to get involved with the community as well as show that you have a social mission of caring. JPMorgan Chase has diversity, equity, and inclusion as an integral part of their culture in their teams and the communities they serve. While the firm's work to advance racial equity has been longstanding, they made a $30 billion commitment to help close the racial wealth gap and promote economic growth and opportunity in Black, Hispanic, and Latino communities. They have and continue to hold wealth management courses and build buildings with community spaces. Create a space to share stories: Hewlett-Packard creates a business culture focused on DEI. They have strong diverse leaders at the forefront of their organization who are also publicly sharing how we need to look back and look forward at DEI. "I am the great-granddaughter of a slave and, as a child, I marched with Dr. Martin Luther King," Pamela Carter, Member of the Board of Directors at Hewlett Packard Enterprise, told audiences at the World Economic Forum’s Annual Meeting in Davos her take on where we are with diversity and how much farther we must go.
As we conclude the month of February and move into the month of March, let’s not forget the amazing things we learned during this month of reflection and let’s celebrate each person inclusively. Let’s not wait another year to celebrate Black History and let’s embrace all history and a future of inclusivity and equality.