In interviews for our Black History Month project, Black, Out & Proud, we asked celebrities to share what Black History Month means to them. Here’s what they said.
Pose actor Angelica Ross: “Black history is all year, we don’t need a month to celebrate it. Black History Month is just the month we turn up! So do what you have to do. Go to the lake, party with your friends, go to the cabin. Know that there’s nothing wrong with creating spaces for Black joy, spaces that are not centered in whiteness, that are not taken over by whiteness, and that are not influenced by whiteness. We deserve that.”
Dewayne Perkins from The Blackening: “Black History Month, to me, is like the Black version of The Purge, where Black people get to do whatever they want. That’s how I exist every February. [I advise Black people to] do whatever you want, and everybody should just appease Black people. That’s really what I think Black History Month should be. That’s the agenda I’m going to keep pushing. [Laughs]”
RuPaul’s Drag Race star Monét X Change: “Maybe because I’m older and more aware, but it feels like the tide is finally changing. Publications like BuzzFeed making the active choice to include queer people in Black History Month is really empowering, bold, and beautiful to me because that wasn’t always the case. Sometimes it feels like LGBTQ+ people are forgotten about during Black History Month. But there is so much intersectionality there, so why not celebrate it and put an exclamation point on it with a big heart-eyes emoji?”
Reality star Ts Madison: “It means so much more to me because I’m a part of Black history. It’s personal to me now. When I was growing up, we learned about Martin Luther King Jr., Coretta Scott King, and Malcolm X in school. Before it’s all said and done, the people will hear and learn about Ts Madison, too. That’s why Black history is important to me because I’m able to create and manifest it. I am a part of pushing Black and queer culture forward.”
Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor from The Color Purple (2023): “When I was in graduate school at NYU, they had Black History Month programs, and I didn’t participate in them. It was gonna be me and all of four Black people who were performing skits about Black history in front of white students. I didn’t want to do that. I didn’t want to perform for them. It felt exploitative to me. There’s so much work we have to do. Every time I talk to someone, they tell me, ‘I want to do a project about this Black woman or this Black man,’ and then they ask me, ‘Do you know them?’ I [usually] say, ‘No, I have never heard of them.’ I used to be so ashamed about having such an impoverished understanding of Black history. Now, I think to myself, ‘It wasn’t intended for you to know.'”
Comedian Kalen Allen: “I don’t think about Black History Month as one month, it is something that I celebrate 365 days a year. Black History Month is a time to teach what so many people refuse to teach. Especially in a time where we are getting so much legislature that is preventing people from learning critical race theory and Black history. This is a time when it will be in your face. I’m going to teach you about who we are, whether you like it or not.”
Drag Race contestant Shea Couleé: “Black History Month makes me grateful for our ancestors and the advances that they’ve helped our culture to make. However, there is a fracture that exists there because we’re not always included in the conversation of Black pioneers when there are indeed incredible Black queer trailblazers who have helped to push culture forward. For me, Black history means not only acknowledging the contributions of our ancestors but also pushing the conversation forward for current pioneers and including LGBTQIA people.
P-Valley star Nicco Annan: “[Black History Month] shows I’m not alone. It also lets me know what’s possible. Sometimes, as an artist, you can create what has not been seen. I grew up knowing the portrayals of queer people and certain tropes in the industry. Now as an artist and a man, I want to be able to put my own stamp on something and show more of the differences and nuances that were being missed in the things that I saw.”
9-1-1: Lone Star actor Brian Michael Smith: “Black History Month is time that we earned. It was created for us to make sure that this country recognizes our contributions to its history. Yes, it’s for us to remember too, but it’s really more for the country to recognize who we are because Black History Month, for us, is every day. We want to ensure that other people who are not part of our community take time to reflect and know what we’re about in a way that goes deeper than appropriation or tolerance. I hope it encourages people to educate themselves on the history and realize how much of what they enjoy in life comes from this community.”
All Boys Aren’t Blue author George M. Johnson: “Black History Month is a celebration of those who come before us. It’s a time to check in with the ancestors and reread their work so that we know how we can move forward. I love the fact that many of us are now highlighting queer folk who were pioneers of Black history. Let’s keep sharing as many stories as we can until Black history can’t be contained to just a month. Black History Month used to be a day, now it’s a month. Let’s make it all year.”
Darryl Stephens from Noah’s Arc: “It’s always been the shortest month of the year dedicated to talking about the folks whom white gatekeepers have allowed us to talk about. It’s [mainly] been presented through [the white] gaze of who’s peaceful or who didn’t cause a ruckus or disturbance. Or who they’ve been able to recontextualize as peaceful, and not too much of a threat. What you’re doing by recontextualizing Black History Month to acknowledge Black queer folks has reminded me that we have been instrumental to most of the change. The Black Lives Matter movement was started by Black queer women. We can now shift to [acknowledge] the people who upset the status quo, and the people who came to shake shit up. Because that’s also important for us. That’s the Black history that makes a difference.”
Rapper Kidd Kenn: “Black History Month is a moment to celebrate what we’ve been through, how far we’ve come, and where we’re going. We should also honor those who stood up and put their lives on the line [to create change]. I hope it’s always just a feel-good month.”
What does Black History Month mean to you? Share your answer in the comments below and be sure to check out more of our Black, Out, & Proud content here.