10 ways you can celebrate and learn during Black History Month

In February, we celebrate the rich and vibrant history, culture and achievements of the Black community, while remembering the many challenges faced over hundreds of years. While it is a month of celebration, it is also a time of reflection – to recognize, learn and participate. Education, awareness and action are critical to understanding and inclusion, and we all have a part to play.  

You can do your part and commit to action. Two of our Inclusion and Diversity (I&D) Executive Council members, Eric Miller Jr. and Heather Campbell share ways you can get involved, learn and celebrate this Black History Month.

10 ways you can learn and celebrate this Black History Month

5 ways you can get involved, shared by Eric:

1. Learn about influential Black innovators and energy leaders. Get inspired – learn about the significant achievements and contributions thought leaders have made, and are making, to our society, industry, and the world, despite the many challenges they faced. I encourage you to read the stories of these individuals, to motivate you to elevate your expectations on what you can accomplish, and the impact you can make:

• • • Hazel O’Leary | First Black Secretary of Energy
    • Vicky Bailey | Former FERC Commissioner
    • Jessica O. Matthews | Young energy innovator
    • Lewis Latimer | Inventor and innovator

2. Support causes advocating for racial justice and empowering communities of color. My entire life, I have been involved with a number of organizations; from being the recipient of their services to acting as a Director on the Board. I have seen first-hand the positive impact they have on our communities. Consider supporting these great organizations to honor Black History Month, support our future leaders and contribute to a more equal, inclusive world:

• • • Positive Black Male Association of Houston
    • National Urban League
    • Advancement Project

3. Give your time to underserved communities. The celebration of Black History Month extends beyond just 28 days a year. Volunteer at an event or become a member of an organization to build a lasting impact in your community and in your life professionally and personally. If you’re in the U.S., consider: the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), National Urban League, National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE), or American Association of Black in Energy (AABE).
   
   
4. Celebrate Black art, film and literature. Learning about the Black experience through art provides perspective and creates connection – unveiling that despite our color or backgrounds, we all have more in common than we think. Here are some of my favorites, I hope you find them as moving as I do:

• • • Art: National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC)
    • Literature: Whistling Vinvaldi: How Stereotypes affect us and what we can do by Claude M. Steele
    • Film: One Night in Miami

5. Engage in conversation about inclusion and diversity. Black History Month is about highlighting people and culture to demonstrate that our differences and diversity makes us stronger. In our workplaces, employee engagement is critical to achieving a positive, measurable movement. Have a conversation with your team about inclusion and diversity and get involved.

5 more ways you can get involved, shared by Heather:

1. Be a steward. I am a proud member of Calgary Black Chambers, an organization of Black professionals who actively embody the values of fellowship, mentorship, scholarship and advocacy in our lives and work in Calgary. They have a scholarship and a mentorship program to elevate, uplift and support the achievement of Black students. Black students and students of colour continue to be underrepresented in STEM education and industries, like energy. I believe that our businesses should reflect the full plurality of our communities, to have true engagement, prosperity and sustainability.

2. Watch a film.Author, playwright, filmmaker, and my friend, Cheryl Foggo, launched her documentary John Ware Reclaimed in 2020 – the story of John Ware, a legendary Calgary cowboy. If you’re in Canada, you can check it out for free through the National Film Board during Black History Month. When it comes to learning Black History in school in Canada, many of us learned little or nothing. If we were fortunate, and had some Black history in our curriculum, it was about slavery in the U.S. and didn’t reflect on Canadian and British Black history – this helps us learn a bit more.

3. Mail a letter, use a stamp.Want to send a Valentine’s Day card or a personal note to someone isolated at home? Use Canada Post’s Black History Month commemorative postage honouring Amber Valley, AB – one of the first all Black settlements in Canada. I encourage you to learn about Amber Valley, and Alberta’s history by watching this short documentary.

4. Get creative. Art is how a culture and a community expresses its uniqueness, authenticity and core.  In my home office, I have a warrior woman visual art piece called Tears of Blood by artist Jae Sterling. This piece was created at the same time Mr. Sterling was creating Calgary’s Black Lives Matter mural. The mural, called Guide and Protector was facilitated by Pink Flamingo, a QTBIPOC artist collective. Also, Arts Commons, Calgary’s performing arts centre, is featuring a free, virtual cabaret performance for Black History Month – check it out.

5. Read. My favourite book list is long! Growing up, my parents filled our home with books and I continue to do the same in my own home. Many of the books on my shelf are about being Black in Canada, and also the lived experience of Black people in the Caribbean, a reflection of my Jamaican roots. Here’s a few of my favourites, I encourage you to pick up a copy at your local bookstore, and I hope you enjoy reading them as much as I did:

• • • Drumblair:  Memories of a Jamaican Childhood by Rachel Manley
    • Small Island by Andrea Levy
    • Black Berry, Sweet Juice by Lawrence Hill
    • Sweat by Lynn Nottage
    • Hard Times Require Furious Dancing by Alice Walker
    • They Call Me George by Cecil Foster

Thank you, Eric and Heather, for sharing so many ways to get involved. We’re ready to listen, learn and celebrate.    

Empower, our workforce giving and volunteering program, enables our employees to give back to the causes that are most important to them. This month, we're highlighting causes to support the Black community. Learn more about Empower.