Celebrating Black History Month

Honoring Black Contributions

Avalon is celebrating Black History Month in lots of ways and our DEI Task Force wanted to share the content we’re watching and listening to, the virtual events we’re loving, and the thought-provoking articles we are discussing. Please explore, enjoy, and share this list!

 

Of course, this is by no means an exhaustive list of all available resources. What else should we take a look at? Let us know!

 

Check out Avalon Clients Celebrating Black History Month

Avalon is proud to partner with organizations that honor Black History Month. Check out the incredible resources some of our clients are offering this month:

 

• The National Museum of African American History and Culture has an incredible lineup of public programs available online. They include Joyful Fridays that invite kids to explore creativity and embrace emotions through art, a session on how to uncover information about enslaved ancestors, a discussion about race and medicine, and so much more. And check out the discussion with Ibram X. Kendi and Keisha N. Blain on their book, Four Hundred Souls, for which they invited 90 talented writers to document the 400-year journey of African Americans. Watch the video here.

 

• Bread for the City invites you to celebrate Black History Month with them as they host a series of events live at 6pm every Wednesday on their Facebook Page.

 

• The National Air and Space Museum has curated a list of African American Pioneers of Aviation and Space who have made, and continue to make a significant contributions to flight and space exploration.

 

• The League of Women Voters honors its first Black national president, elected in 1998, and shares how they are fighting racism in the form of voter suppression.

 

• National Parks Conservation Association shares how you can Learn About Black History in 7 Unexpected Places and six sites of particular importance to the Black LGBTW community.

 

• Wolf Trap is Celebrating Black History Month by recognizing legendary and iconic Black performers.

 

• The American Air Museum in Britain is spotlighting unsung heroes for Black History Month and ensuring that their stories are heard.

Listen to These Podcast Episodes

NPR’s Code Switch:

“What’s In A ‘Karen’?”

 

NPR’s Life Kit:

• How leaders can support employees of color
• 4 Ways to make you workplace equitable for trans people
• How to survive in a mostly white workplace

 

Harvard Business Review’s Race at Work podcast:

Mastercard’s Former Chief Diversity Officer Donna Johnson: Advancing Company Culture

 

Explore These Black Artists and Their Stories

• This virtual museum exhibit, 28 Days of Black History, features a different work each day for the 28 days of Black History Month. Each day curators will share an introduction to a moment in Black history exemplified by the art, literature or artifact featured for the day. And they’ll include discussion questions and action items to dismantle anti-Blackness in your community. You can sign up to get a daily update. And don’t worry, if you sign up today, you’ll still get the full 28-day tour, it will just continue into March for you!

 

• The Art Institute of Chicago hosts the stunning quilts of Bisa Butler, which reimagine historical narratives of Black life. The artist and her DJ husband created a coordinated playlist to pair with each quilt and other works in the museum’s collection. Check out this unique experience!

 

• Black Art: In the Absence of Light is a powerful HBO documentary that showcases art by African Americans over two centuries. The film works “to demonstrate that Black artists have been making some of the best work and the most relevant work for decades, centuries. But they’ve been making it mostly on the margins, beyond the white art world’s spotlights.” Read more about the documentary in the New York Times, and watch on HBO.

 

Support Black-Owned Businesses

• Read Mashable’s article on How to find and support Black-Owned Businesses – and Why It Matters, which links to several resources on how you can show your support.

 

• Support this business led by two siblings who created their own puzzle company because they realized as much as their family loved puzzles, they never saw themselves represented in any puzzle they did. So they created “Puzzles of Color” that sells “frameable pieces of art created by artists of color.”  If you’re looking to up your puzzle game, consider supporting this black-owned family business.

 

Set Aside Some Time to Read These Articles

• Five Principles That Guide Our Brand Ethos in Storytelling Managing Editor and Writer for Operation Smile, John Streit, inspires with how he’s actively dismantling the power dynamic of the “savior” and the “saved” in the nonprofit space.

 

• How to Move DEI Conversations Beyond Just Talk Association leaders share how to move beyond good intentions.

 

Attend Industry Webinars

• The Nonprofit Alliance Leading By Example: Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in the Nonprofit Sector

 

• Chronicle of Philanthropy offers a webinar on Steps to Take to Diversify Your Donors; February 25, 2021; registration fee