7 subtle things you can wear or do to celebrate Black History Month
Does being excited about Afrocentrism come across too pressed? Maybe, maybe not
In the middle of the pandemic, when I saw former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and other Democratic lawmakers kneeling down, with kente cloth scarves draped around their shoulders, all I could think was, “They meant well.” They didn’t sell it at all, but their intentions were good so I could respect that. While they received a lot of flack, including from the Congressional Black Caucus members who gave them the kente cloth, the problem wasn’t the cloth. The problem was that they’d never worn anything like that before, so it just seemed both convenient and pressed.
The same argument could be made for former Second Gentleman Douglas Emhoff wearing a kente cloth during the trip with his wife, former Vice President Kamala Harris, at the Emintsimadze Palace in Cape Coast. But if I were either one of them, I wouldn’t turn down the offer from the Chief of Cape Coast, Osabarima Kwesi Atta II either, just as a sign of respect.
The main difference between these two incidents is that one couple was actually in Africa where they could learn the story behind the kente cloth. Former Congress members just look like they put the kente cloth on for a photo op. A simple “I support Black History Month” or “I support Juneteenth” or “I support equal rights” T-shirt would’ve sufficed. Even a tie or a neck shawl would’ve been fine. I do, however, wonder if any of the people wearing the kente cloth could speak about the origin of it five years later — or do they even remember?
Celebrating Black History Month — and the Controversy It Started
When I recently saw what the Los Angeles Lakers did by wearing the “Built By Black History” T-shirts, I was ecstatic. If I could’ve gotten my hands on one of those shirts LeBron James was wearing two decades ago, I would’ve worn it proudly. What I did do a couple of decades back was a little different but just as enthusiastic.
A co-worker friend of mine had the idea to organize a Black history party, and she asked me to co-organize it. By that time, a co-worker I could not stand had already left (and we’d had an argument about her saying Black history month was “excessive,” which led to a trip to Human Resources). Our company was being bought out by a company in another state, and for whatever reason, we were having quite a few parties in those last few months to leave on a positive note. (It was somebody’s birthday just about every day, and I grew very tired of cake.) But the “excessive” lady was gone, so that was worth a party on its own.
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Unfortunately, another disagreement happened when someone asked what should they bring to a Black History Month party potluck. I responded to the email with a list of soul food suggestions. I was a new vegetarian at the time, so I added plenty of vegetables to the list. But one Black guy in the office was furious that I named so many soul food items and said it was stereotypical.
After cc:ing my co-party planner, I challenged his response, asking him was he ashamed of eating soul food or was he ashamed that I sent this list to our white co-workers. I was already at my wit’s end with this guy. Physically, he reminded me of a slightly chubby version of Kyle Barker on “Living Single.” Mentally, he reminded me of Carlton from “Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.” And those two never go together because Kyle was cool as a fan while Carlton went out of his way to be a nuisance. On the day of the party, he marched into the conference room where we were setting up Black History Month handouts. His contribution was tofu and something random that he found at the nearest Whole Foods Market. I rolled my eyes and ignored him.
Years later, and after attending many Juneteenth concerts and other Black history events, I hadn’t thought about this guy at all. I don’t care where he ended up working next nor do I ever want to run into him on the street. But my guess is he thought our Black History Month party sounded as pressed as Congress wearing kente cloth — as though we were trying too hard.
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The problem with that theory is he was arguing with the same person who risked losing a job over a Harriet Tubman textbook debate, who challenged the syllabus for an entire English and History department in college to the point of an expulsion threat, and who competed in a public speaking event to talk about Langston Hughes. I am a walking, talking Black history commercial 365 days a year. My mother called me Ms. Malcolm X so much in high school and college to the point I’d turn around when somebody was talking about the actual Omaha, Nebraska native.
I even had a former flame challenge why I seem to know so much about Black history when it comes to the Harlem Renaissance and onward but not nearly enough about people from the Motherland. He demanded our first date be to the DuSable Museum so I could actually brush up on some African history, not just African-American history. He did have a point, so I started learning in reverse.
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But my guess is the tofu-arguing co-worker would probably consider the NBA players wearing “Built by Black History” shirts to be trying too hard too. At some point, you have to stop worrying about what everybody else thinks and celebrate the month however you see fit. So I perused some Black-owned small businesses to find other subtle things Black History Month enthusiasts could do halfway through the month to show their support too. Here are a few suggested items to wear or use — besides adding a kente cloth or kente bow tie or kente tie as an accessory. I’m not mad at the kente cloth blouse either, but there are other options for your Black History Month party planning.
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If you’re not really big on animal print in bright colors, this might be a happy medium. Plus, it matches everything.
I’m not usually a fan of big earrings, but these look incredible (and are handcrafted, hand-designed or hand-altered) with the right hairdo — whether it’s straight down or big and flowing.
For short haircuts, smaller earrings may be the way to go. Although Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson wore cowrie shells around her neck during Inauguration Day that were anything but subtle, these smaller earrings would pair well with other accessories too. (Watch the video below for a short history lesson on the significance of cowrie shells.)
I’m not big on necklaces, but this is top-notch on men, specifically broad-shouldered men. It adds to their natural strength. Even better, you don’t have to get super dressed up to wear it.
On the brighter, colorful side and best worn with a solid dark color so the bracelet can pop on its own, it’s a stunning arrangement that can be worn casually or all dressed up.
If you’re going to yell at the Spades table or play a solo game of Solitaire, who says you can’t learn a few Black history lessons too? Incorporate these cards into a two- or four-player card game at work or family time at home. Your choice.
The shirt says everything and is a reminder of the location where Ardipithecus ramidus (also known as Ardi) was found: Eastern Africa. (Ardi is the nickname for a partial female hominid skeleton recovered at Aramis, in Ethiopia’s Afar rift valley. The fossilized skeletal remains are thought to be an early human-like female anthropoid and date as far back as 4.4 million years old.)
Hopefully, one of these inspired you to celebrate Black History Month. We still have 13 more days to go this month — and all eight items are worth incorporating into your closet or family time the other 11 months too.
Before you go …
If you’re tired of seeing “skin tone,” “beige” or “nude” bandages that look nothing like your complexion, try these instead.
Did you enjoy this post? You’re also welcome to check out my Substack columns “Black Girl In a Doggone World,” “BlackTechLogy,” “Homegrown Tales,” “I Do See Color,” “One Black Woman’s Vote” and “Window Shopping” too. Subscribe to this newsletter for the weekly posts every Wednesday. Thanks for reading!