Honoring Black History Month: Black Resistance
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Today marks the start of Black History Month. Though we strive to consistently recognize African Americans’ profound contributions year-round, February is a time to celebrate. We celebrate the determination of African Americans, who have overcome countless obstacles to make meaningful contributions in every aspect of our society. We celebrate the scholarship and creativity of African Americans who, despite those obstacles, have been thought leaders and change-makers, surging our society in forward progression. And this year, specifically, we join millions in celebrating black resistance as we reflect on the ongoing fight for justice and equity.
Black resistance has been central to making the world a safer, antiracist place, from social justice and activism and challenges against authority to significant cultural expression and far-reaching community organizing. In recent years, black resistance has continued to evolve, including the Black Lives Matter movement and an impact on the growing visibility of Black LGBTQ+ communities that cannot be measured.
“By resisting Black people have achieved triumphs, successes, and progress as seen in the end of chattel slavery, dismantling of Jim and Jane Crow segregation in the South, increased political representation at all levels of government, desegregation of educational institutions, the passage of Civil Rights Act of 1964, the opening of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History in DC and increased and diverse representation of Black experiences in media. Black resistance strategies have served as a model for every other social movement in the country, thus, the legacy and importance of these actions cannot be understated.” - Association for the Study of American Life and History
Here at Outspoken, we are fortunate to represent some of the leading voices within the ongoing black resistance movement. With their contributions ranging across every corner of our society, we’re highlighting some of our speakers below whose work is an undeniable force in social justice, technology, science, wealth, health, education, and more.
Ruha Benjamin: Technology & Social Justice
Ruha Benjamin is an award-winning author and leading scholar of the intersections of technology, inequality, and justice. Her research investigates how AI amplifies bias and unpacks the ethical questions that arise as we grow more and more dependent on artificial intelligence. Rob Reich of The Wall Street Journal said her book Race After Technology: Abolitionist Tools for the New Jim Code is the best single overview of how and why new technologies perpetuate and exacerbate racism." Her most recent book, Viral Justice: How We Grow the World We Want (2022) is part memoir and part manifesto, pointing out how small choices can add up to big changes—if we pay attention.
Popular Topics
➡️ Viral Justice: How We Grow The World We Want
➡️ Race After Technology: Abolitionist Tools for the New Jim Code
Terence Keel: Science & Medicine
In his book, Divine Variations: How Christian Thought Became Racial Science, Outspoken speaker Terence Keel “offers a new account of the development of scientific ideas about race. Focusing on the production of scientific knowledge over the last three centuries, Terence uncovers the persistent links between pre-modern Christian thought and contemporary scientific perceptions of human difference.” Terence’s work meets at the intersection of social, political, and ethical conditions that produce and abolish injustice within society. In 2020, he founded the Lab for BioCritical Studies—an interdisciplinary space committed to studying how discrimination, inequality, and resilience are embodied in human and nonhuman life.
Popular Topics
➡️ Why Racism is a Public Health Issue: From Heart Disease to Police Profiling
➡️ How Knowing Science Can Help Us Be Antiracist
Rachel Rodgers: Financial Health & Wealth
Rachel Rodgers’ mission is to empower women—especially women of color—on how to earn more money and wealth. As the founder of Hello Seven, she has built a multi-million dollar company centered on this goal and reaches tens of thousands of women each week through her blog and podcast, offering advice to elevate their financial health. In her talks, Rachel shares the secrets behind million-dollar decisions, how to build equitable, anti-racist businesses, and inspires a financial revolution for women, who earn less on the dollar as compared to their male counterparts. And as for women of color? The figure is even less.
Popular Topics
➡️ Goodbye B.A.D. (Broke Ass Decisions): Making Million Dollar Decisions for Financial Growth
➡️ The Financial Revolution for Women
Crystal Fleming: Education & Criticism
A Harvard graduate with a Ph.D. and master's degree in sociology and multiple award-winning books, Crystal Fleming knows the best path forward to more inclusive classrooms and better academic outcomes. She’s conducted research on racism and anti-racism in multiple national contexts and collaborated on empirical projects in the United States, France, Brazil, and Israel. As an educator to the masses, Crystal’s work has had an impact on learners of all ages. Her latest book, RISE UP! How You Can Join the Fight Against White Supremacy, is a YA nonfiction work that explores the roots of racism and its modern-day legacies while empowering young people with actionable ways to create a more just and equitable world. With almost 80,000 followers on Twitter, her practical and frank writing prompts important 21st-century questions and conversations that can change the world for good.
Popular Topics
➡️ How To Be Less Stupid About Race
➡️ An Introduction to Antiracist Pedagogy
Outspoken Agency is a women-owned speaking agency representing leaders, founders, public intellectuals, authors and entertainers for paid keynotes, workshops and panels at in-person and virtual events. Learn more about our female founders here.