Black History Month is an important celebration where everyone can come together to talk, share, listen, explore, and learn about the central importance of the black experience in American society.
For this installment, we talked with StockX team member Renee from the Quality Assurance Engineering team.
The following interview has been lightly edited.
What was your first experience with Black History Month?
My first experience with Black History Month was in 1st grade at Bates Academy, an elementary school located on the west side of Detroit. Each year the school organized a Black History Month trivia championship called Bates Battle. Teachers would hand out packets full of black history facts that we would memorize to show off our knowledge at daily individual competitions at lunchtime and team competitions in the gymnasium. It was a ton of fun and I still remember many of the historical facts I learned then. It was a brilliant way of making learning engaging and fun while also diversifying our history curriculum.
How has Black History Month personally inspired you?
Black History Month has taught me the power of storytelling. Years of learning black history have formed the foundation of my racial identity and colored my perception of what it means to be black in America. There is a powerful effect in telling the stories of inventions, accomplishments, political movements, and contributions to society black Americans have made for hundreds of years. This inspires me to put no limits on my life as a black woman and what I can accomplish.
Why do you think Black History Month is so important?
It is so important because it formally acknowledges the many contributions black people have made to American society. Marcus Garvey, a Jamaican political thought leader, once said: “A people without the knowledge of their past history, origin and culture is like a tree without roots.” Black History Month facilitates an awareness throughout society that humanizes our experience of living in America. It also taught me that black history does not begin with slavery—an impression still given by many history textbooks today.
Why is it important for StockX to honor Black History Month?
It is important for StockX to honor Black History Month because it is a Detroit-based company. Detroit is a city that has a majority black population full of annual Black History Month celebrations which truly enrich the local culture. It is great that StockX embodies the spirit of the city and honors Black History Month. As a unicorn, there are black people working for the company that are actually making black history in real-time and StockX has the platform to effectively share our stories.
What do you think is Black History Month’s legacy?
In an increasingly busy world, Black History Month will always provide the time and space for future generations to learn something new about black history from ancient times to the modern era. Everyone can benefit from learning stories about individuals’ accomplishments in the midst of facing extreme opposition.
Be sure to check out more of our celebration of Black History Month.
