Creative Black History Month activities for work every company should implement
February is Black History Month, a period to honor the contributions of the Black community to society. A busy work schedule combined with a limit on physical activities may make you feel restricted in how we commemorate the month. Regardless, there are creative ways companies and their employees can honor African Americans. Whether you’re a five-employee startup working remotely or a 10,000 member company working from the office, here are creative Black History Month activities for work worth your time.
Use company social media channels to amplify Black voices
There will be lots of Tweets, Instagram stories, and LinkedIn posts honoring Black inventors and businesses the entire month. Using your company’s social media accounts to amplify these stories is a great way to support the Black community. Share, retweet, and comment on meaningful discussions on Black history on social media. It’s also important for companies to create and post messages that educate followers and customers about the month. From African American inventors to local businesses and philanthropic causes, there are lots of stories to fill your social media calendar for the entire month.
Prepare a Black History Month playlist for work
Black artists have had an immense influence on music and sound in America. Creating a playlist of these impressive sounds is a creative way to commemorate the month and honor the contributions of Black musicians. From inspirational rap lyrics by Tupac and Jay Z to the electrifying sounds of Michael Jackson, there’s a lot to listen to. Start by asking team members to share their favorite songs created by Black musicians. Use these suggestions to create a playlist on either YouTube or Spotify (or both!), and share with the team. To take this to the next level, the company can reward employees who spent the most hours listening to these inspired playlists during the month.
Helping a Black nonprofit through volunteering
While limitations on physical activity may prevent many from engaging with nonprofits physically, we can still volunteer virtually. There are many ways to volunteer: individuals helping their local nonprofits or the company going all out and choosing some nonprofits to volunteer for. Start by asking your employees to suggest Black-led nonprofits that may need their services, physically or virtually. Then allow your employees to volunteer for these organizations by using their work time, and also based on their expertise. For example, if your team comprises software engineers, you can give them a stipend to volunteer for tech-oriented, Black-focused nonprofits such as the Hidden Genius Project or Black Girls Code. Your list of potential nonprofits that need volunteering service doesn’t have to be tech-related, but it needs to be broad enough for everyone to find something impactful to do.
Organize a Black History Month trivia game
Hosting a trivia game session is one of the best ways to encourage employees to learn about Black history. Create as many trivia questions as possible from different themes, including sports, books, music, literature, art, and more. Trivia can be hosted online for remote teams or organized physically for those working from the office. The idea is to make it broad enough in order to highlight the diversity among the Black community.
Train your team on diversity and inclusion (DEI)
Regardless of how much effort your team has put into diversity and inclusion (DEI), it’s important to organize frequent training sessions to keep everyone abreast of current trends. The month of February can be the time your company organizes DEI training for workers and makes a commitment to keep it going. During this month, it’s helpful to invite a DEI expert to bring new perspectives on building and maintaining a diverse and inclusive work environment.
