Hello Meltingpot Community,
Now that we’ve made the decision to move our family abroad to Spain, I find myself wondering what will be different and what will be the same about our new lives. Of course, I’m constantly thinking about how my life as a Black woman, raising Black children will be different in Europe compared to the United States. And not that Black History Month is the arbiter on whether or not a country is “pro-Black,” I did wonder whether Black History Month is celebrated is Spain. For the record, it’s not. At least not officially. On the other hand, it is celebrated in the Netherlands. This got me wondering, where is Black History Month Celebrated besides the United States?
Where Black History Month is Celebrated Abroad?
It turns out, Black History Month is officially celebrated in the United States (obviously), Canada, the United Kingdom, Ireland, the Netherlands and Germany (sort of). The United States and Canada both celebrate BHM in February. But the UK, Holland, and Ireland have chosen October as their Black History Month. And from what I can gather, it appears that the celebration month may change from year to year in Germany and may not be an entire month of revelry, but rather a week or maybe just a day. It also may not be a country wide celebration, but rather one concentrated in bigger cities like Berlin.
You Can Celebrate Black History Month Anywhere and Anytime
While the above mentioned places are the countries whose governments have officially recognized Black History Month as a national event, there are many individuals, activists and organizations that have created Black History month events abroad that occur regularly and are widely celebrated. In addition, many American embassies in foreign countries celebrate Black History Month and host special events and create programing for the local populations to learn more about African-American culture and contributions to society.
The Takeaways about Celebrating Black History Abroad
On the one hand, it would be interesting to see what Black history celebrations are like in England or Ireland, for example and now that I will be living in Europe, popping over to those countries in October, would be doable and exciting. On the other hand, there could be a great opportunity to host my own Black history month events in Spain, come February 2022. From my own research and writing, I know Spain has an incredible Black history that deserves recognition, so maybe that will be my path. I don’t think I’ll be trying to organize an entire month of activities or anything, maybe just a one-day event? Maybe just a reading from the pages of Kinky Gazpacho? Or maybe, I’ll just gather my little family together and celebrate us, a Black & Spanish family, charting a new course and making our own Black history abroad.
Where have you celebrated Black history month abroad? Share your story in the comments. You know I’m listening and taking notes.
(P. S. Speaking of Black history in Europe, that picture above is of Denmark’s first public monument of a Black woman. She is known as “Mary the Rebel Queen” and her story is fascinating!)
