We’re at the end of another Black History Month and I wanted to not only do a recap of how awesome this year’s BHM was.
In the words of kids these days BLACK HISTORY MONTH WAS SO LIT! I know we’re not a monolith, but I feel like Black people across the globe have been letting their magic shine this month. From the Black Panther movie release to Nigeria having significant representation at the winter Olympics in like forever this has been a good month! The Obamas unveiled their official portraits at the National Portrait Gallery and they not only made history by being the first Black president and first lady in the gallery, but they used Black artists for their portraits! The paintings ruffled a few feathers, but at the end of the day Barack and Michelle chose the artists they did because they’re a fan of the work and okay-ed the final products. I personally love the portraits.
I’ve written about Black Panther before, and I don’t give a damn if I sound like a broken record, but it was what we needed this month! It more than lived up to the hype and is continuing to smash box office records. Not only is it showing kids (and adults honestly) all over the world a positive portrayal of Black people on-screen, but it’s sparking dialogue between Africans and African-Americans that should have been happening. Erik Killmonger might have been the best antagonist in the Marvel Universe because he spoke some truth. I’ve seen many think pieces floating around already about it, and I know that there are going to be more to come. Speaking of what’s to come in the future because of this film; I know it’s only February, but I’m looking forward to seeing all of the Halloween costumes and cosplay in general that was sparked by this movie!
Another big thing that happened this year was the constant #BlackGirlMagic. I’ve talked about that numerous times on my blog, but I felt like this year was extra special. Nigeria truly showed out and even though they didn’t win any medals Seun Adigun, Ngozi Onwumere, Simidele Adeagbo showed that they were a force to be reckoned with in their respective sports. Luvvie even got to narrate a commercial that Simidele Adeagbo was featured in! And while I might not like the Dallas Mavericks (don’t hate me, Angelique), I was thrilled when Mark Cuban selected Cynthia Marshall as interim CEO after HR nightmare scandal that rocked the organization when it came out that it was a hostile work environment for women. Now this isn’t the first time an organization has brought in Black woman to “clean up their mess”, and I know that like the many who have taken on the task before her Cynthia will do an awesome job! She was an amazing executive at AT&T and those skills are just what the Mavericks need.
A few honorable mentions are Janelle Monae’s new project dropping and Drake donating just about the whole budget for his video for “God’s Plan” to deserving people. Oh, and I was able to score ‘Hamilton’ tickets for when they come to Houston and taped an episode of ‘Le Haute Paire’ that I’m incredibly proud of. And last but not least is the awesomeness that is Will Smith on Instagram. I don’t know what we were doing on there before his daily inspirational videos and clips of him scaring the crap out of Scotty. All in all, a pretty dope Black History Month. I say let’s keep it up throughout the rest of the year.
#WakandaForever