We have solved the Black History Month problem!
I am fiercely proud of our Black History Month shows. It was designed by me, with work and consultation from an African American History major, an American Studies major and a lot of research looking at what makes Black History Month hard to program for. I have seen a lot of programs brought to campuses in February that are black magicians, black comics, African dance, Step shows etc. While this is great for showcasing that talent is all around us and exposing groups to artists that they may have never encountered otherwise, it does not IMHO hit the mark of celebrating Black History.
There are several reasons why it is difficult to celebrate Black History for most educators. Firstly, coming across as unknowledgeable about Black History can put you in a delicate and awkward position in front of your community. I think that people are afraid that by not knowing the History part of Black History Month they come across as racist or insensitive (It doesn’t BTW. You’re cool).
The second reason why it is hard to program for Black History Month is that it has traditionally been presented as DULL. There is only so many Civil Rights Voting Acts that people do not know before a BHM trivia show can fall flat.
If this article does nothing else, then let me make sure I get this point across to you. There is NO SUCH THING as Black History. It is all just HISTORY. What Black History Month is, is a Celebration of how African Americans fit into the narrative and culture of American History. This includes the hardships, triumphs, scandals, victories, inventions, celebrations and pop culture contributions that African Americans have made to the United States since this country was created.
Looking at BHM through that lens, our shows all start out with the statement, “There are NO wrong answers. The goal of this show is to start a conversation and have us all realize how important African Americans have been to the shaping of this country”.
As 2020 has pushed us to the virtual show and we all are concerned with computer fatigue and getting attendance, I think it is very important to say the words in this space that ALL PEOPLE will be on the same footing in our Trivia Stream BHM game show. No one will be on camera except me and like all of our Trivia Stream shows, I will keep the show fun, engaging and have you saying “WOW! I didn’t realize that!”, while at the same time, having a fair opportunity to win prizes. Have you seen Spider-man into the Spider-verse? Are you a fan of Samuel L Jackson in Star Wars? Have you watched Hamilton? Then you will do awesome at this show! We want everyone to succeed and then we will drop some real knowledge as to how important these pop culture milestones are in the context of African Americans shaping the United States.
I personally host every Black History Month show that goes out and stand behind the content, presentation and execution of the event 100%. It brings me so much joy to share my love of trivia, history and pop culture through the lens of celebrating the African American experience in a fun way. In my own small way, it is my personal contribution to the making the world a better place.
Come one and all to be a part of this fun, interactive and important virtual show.
Oh yeah, and Black Lives Matter.
