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While Black History Month is officially commemorated during February, we honor Black history and celebrate Black futures year-round. This month — and in to March — opportunities abound for telling an affirmative story about racial justice in the United States, and envisioning the possibilities ahead of us. Cite the values of Voice and Community in sharing these resources with your audiences.

Messaging and communication tools for Black Futures:

• Improving Media Coverage and Public Perceptions of African-American Men and Boys
• Afro-futurism Over Fear: A Celebration and Discussion of Black Panther
• Ten Lessons for Talking About Race, Racism, and Racial Justice
• Beyond Policing
• Raising American Son: A Discussion Guide

Resources and Events: 

• Kimberly Drew and Jenna Worthom's new anthology, Black Futures considers “What does it mean to be black and alive right now?”
• Expand your reading list further with this list on Twitter of upcoming books by Black authors.
• Educators, students, parents, antiracist organizers, and education advocates are encouraged to participate in "Black Lives Matter at School: Year of Purpose"  — an ongoing series of activations and reflections to uplift Black students and undo institutional racism.
• Watch and share Black History Always with Washington Mystics guard Ariel Atkins and Soraya Nadia McDonald, culture editor of The Undefeated (DC Public Library)
• The Incubator for Executive Leaders of Color 2021 — apply by March 18 for this leadership training and community support program for executive leaders of color from arts and cultural organizations based in the five boroughs of New York City.
• Podcast playlist by Black creators (Twitter)
• Pedestal Project — Color of Change presents this Augmented Reality (AR) experience that lets users place statues of racial justice leaders atop empty pedestals where confederate statues once stood.
• How Issa Rae’s “The Misadventures of Awkward Black Girl" Set the Tone for Black Creators 10 Years Later.
• Oprah's lists of Books to Read by Black Authors, Best Black TV Shows, and Best Black Movies on Netflix.
• The 7th Annual Black History Month Lecture – (Re)Making History: Memory, Mythmaking, and the Civil Rights Movement
• NYC Department of Parks & Recreation's Black History Month Events.
• More: The Opportunity Survey: Understanding the Roots of Attitudes on Inequality; The Movement for Black Lives' A Vision for Black Lives; Color of Change's A Dangerous Distortion: Representations of Our Familes, By Race, in News and Opinion Media

Hashtags: #BlackHistoryMonth; #BlackFuturesMonth

On this day in 1960, four civil rights protesters started the first lunch counter sit-in in Greensboro, NC. Use this anniversary to talk about the importance of civic action and standing up for racial justice. Cite the values of Voice and Community.

• Messaging and communication tools: The Opportunity Agenda’s Ten Lessons for Talking About Race, Racism and Racial Justice and Improving Opportunity for Black Men and Boys - Messaging Guidance; Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee’s Sit-Ins in Greensboro
• Hashtag: #GreensboroSitIn; #GreensboroFour; #RacialJustice

It’s also the annual World Hijab Day to “foster religious tolerance and understanding of the millions of Muslim women who choose to wear the hijab.” Use this hook to celebrate the end of the Muslim Ban citing the values of Religious Tolerance, Community, and Equality.

• Hashtags: #EmpoweredInHijab; #WorldHijabDay;

On this day in 1848, the United States and Mexico signed the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo that ended the Mexican–American War and established the border between the two countries. Connect this treaty to today's discussion about the border wall and its impact on border communities. Cite the values of Community and Voice.

• Messaging and communication tools: The Opportunity Agenda’s Talking Border Issues Amidst the Government Shutdown and Talking About Policing Issues: Border Communities; Southern Border Communities Coalition’s A Better Border
• Hashtag: #GuadalupeHidalgo

Today is Transit Equity Day to "make public transit accessible and affordable to all, create good jobs by expanding our public transit systems, and protect our health and climate by using renewable energy to power our buses and trains." Organizers chose Feb. 4 because it is Rosa Parks' birthday and they want to honor her act of resistance on a city bus that helped catalyze the civil rights movement. 

• Take action: Register your activity here (even if you don’t know what it is yet) or join an action near you. 
• Messaging and communication tools: Labor for Sustainability’s Organizing Toolkit; Our Neighborhoods Our Future's Vision and Principles
• Hashtag: #TransitEquityDay

On this day in 1993, President Bill Clinton signed into law the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993 (FMLA) that requires most employers to provide job-protected and unpaid leave for qualified medical and family reasons to their employees. The law was an important step for worker rights but today advocates are pushing for paid family and medical leave for all workers. Cite the values of Economic Security and Community when discussing this anniversary.

• Messaging and communication tools from The Opportunity Agenda: Public Opinion About Paid Family and Medical Leave,  Paid Sick Leave Cannot Wait Any Longer, and Telling a Story About Families and Opportunity
• Messaging and communication tools from Partners: Family Values at Work’s Resources and Toolkit; Paid Leave for the U.S.’s Employer Trends Report; Paid Family Leave: Why It Matters and Paid Family Leave: Messages That Resonate; Work Family Strategy Council’s Resources; New America’s How Congress could finally get it right on paid leave
• Hashtags: #PaidLeaveForAll and #IncludeMe

Today would have been Trayvon Martin’s 26th birthday. His death in 2012 and the acquittal of his killer in 2013 launched the #BlackLivesMatter movement. Discuss Trayvon citing the values of Community and Equality.

• Messaging and communication tools: The Opportunity Agenda's Create Fair and Effective Policing Practices; Opportunity for Black Men and Boys, and Trayvon Martin Story viewing guides; Paramount and BET’s Trayvon Martin Story online video series; Black Lives Matter's #TalkAboutTrayvon - A Toolkit for White People
• Hashtags: #TrayvonMartin; #TalkAboutTrayvon; #BlackLivesMatter

Today is the Super Bowl. Besides the face-off between the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Kansas City, the game attracts the nation’s attention with its influential commercials, half time show, and political activism. While other teams such as the Washington Football Team have changed their offensive and disparaging names towards Native Americans, Kansas City has not followed suit. Use this event to raise your advocacy issues with audiences online. Cite the values of Voice, Equality, and Community.

• Messaging and communications tools: The Opportunity Agenda’s Pride vs. Prejudice: Put the Tomahawk Chop to Rest and The Case of the Cultural Influencers: Colin Kaepernick, Jimmy Kimmel, and #MeToo; Illuminative's Change The Name
• Hashtag: #SuperBowl; #SuperBowlMiami; #SuperBowlLIV; #ChangeTheName; #NativeAppropriation

On this day, only eight years ago, Mississippi officially certified the 13th Amendment, becoming the last state to approve the abolition of slavery and involuntary servitude. The amendment makes punishment for a crime as the only exception, which today is often discussed in the criminal justice reform debate (i.e. see Ava DuVernay’s documentary, “13th”). Use this anniversary to talk about the continued need for racial justice in the United States, especially in our criminal justice system. Cite the values of Redemption and Community.

• Messaging and communication tools: The Opportunity Agenda’s Transforming the System: A New Sensibility; Criminal Justice Reform Phrase Guide; Ten Lessons for Talking About Race, Racism and Racial Justice and Rejecting Bigotry, Demanding Action; Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights' 10 Actions That You Can Take to Stop White Supremacy and Stand Up for Civil and Human Rights
• Hashtag: #13thAmendment

On this day in 1887, U.S. President Grover Cleveland signed the Dawes Act into law, imposing private land ownership on American Indians. This was intended to break up tribes as communal units and threaten tribal sovereignty. Use this anniversary to advocate for racial and economic justice for Native Americans. Cite the values of Voice and Economic Opportunity.

• Messaging and communication tools: Partnership with Native Americans’ The True Impact of the Dawes Act of 1887; Indian Country Today’s Dawes Act Signed Into Law to 'Civilize' Indians; National Congress of American Indians’ Tribal Nations and the United States: An Introduction; U.S. Department of Arts and Culture's #HonorNativeLand: A Guide and Call for Acknowledgement; Reclaiming Native Truths’ Changing the Narrative about Native Americans
• Hashtag: #DawesAct; #HonorNativeLand

On this day in 1978, Native American activists launched The Longest Walk, a 3,200-mile spiritual walk across the country to support tribal sovereignty and challenge anti-Indian legislation that limited water rights. When discussing this anniversary, cite the values of Voice and Economic Opportunity.

• Messaging and communication tools: The Opportunity Agenda’s We Are All Related; Equal Justice Initiative's Native American Activism; Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights’ American Indians and Alaska Natives in the 2020 Census; National Congress of American Indians’ Tribal Nations and the United States: An Introduction; 
• Reclaiming Native Truths’ Changing the Narrative about Native Americans
• Hashtag: #TheLongestWalk

On this day in 1968, African American sanitation workers went on strike in Memphis, Tennessee for better pay and safer working conditions. The strikers would create the iconic image with their “I Am a Man” posters. During the strike, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. traveled to Memphis, where he was assassinated. Discuss this anniversary by citing the values of Voice, Economic Security, and Equality.

• Messaging and communication tools: The Opportunity Agenda’s Talking About Unions and Economic Security; Center for Popular Democracy’s Why Labor and the Movement for Racial Justice Should Work Together
• Hashtag: #Memphis1968

Today is the birthday of two influential African-American writers/activists: Toni Morrison and Audre Lorde. They were born a few years apart and throughout their careers they explored intersectional issues of race, gender, and sexuality. Morrison passed away last year. She won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1993. Use their birthdays to raise the values of Voice and Equality.

• Messaging and communication tools: The Opportunity Agenda’s Ten Tips for Putting Intersectionality into Practice; Colorlines' Ten Quotes to Celebrate Audre Lorde's Birthday and Flashback Photos to Celebrate Toni Morrison's Birthday; AndAction’s Pop Culture Works; Fast Company's Black Twitter makes the case for Lorde-Morrison Day in honor of two literary giants
• Hashtags: #ToniMorrison; #AudreLorde

On this day in 1923, the U.S. Supreme Court unanimously ruled in the case of United States v. Bhagat Singh Thind that an Indian Sikh man who identified himself as a "high caste aryan, of full Indian blood," was ineligible for naturalized citizenship in the United States. The decision prevented South Asians from becoming American citizens. Discuss this anniversary by citing the values of Voice, Equality, and Community. 

• Messaging and communication tools: South Asian American Digital Archive's The Problem and The Opportunity Agenda's Ten Tips for Putting Intersectionality into Practice
• Hashtags: #BhagatSinghThind

Day of Remembrance: On this day in 1942, the War Relocation Authority was established to relocate Japanese-Americans to internment camps. Today, activists refer to the internment as a shameful precedent for the Trump administration's Muslim travel ban. Discuss the significance of this anniversary by emphasizing the values of Community and Voice.

• Messaging and communication tools: Japanese American Citizens League's Power of Words Handbook: Understanding Euphemisms and Preferred Terminology; Densho's Learning Center; American Public Media’ Order 9066 podcast
• Hashtags: #DayofRemebrance; #NoMuslimBanEver

World Day for Social Justice was established by the United Nations through the International Labor Organization (ILO) to “guarantee fair outcomes for all through employment, social protection, social dialogue, and fundamental principles and rights at work.” The theme for this year is “Closing the Inequalities Gap to Achieve Social Justice.” Cite the values of Community and Economic Security when talking about this day.

• Messaging and communication tools: United Nation’s World Day for Social Justice; The Opportunity Agenda’s Talking about the Importance of Unions and Economic Security
• Hashtags: #SocialJustice; #ILO100; #DecentWork

Tonight at 8pm EST, The NAACP Image Awards will "celebrate the outstanding achievements and performances of people of color in the arts, as well as those individuals or groups who promote social justice through their creative endeavors." The event will provide a prime time opportunity for your organization to discuss social justice with online audiences. Cite the values of Voice, Community, and Equality. 

• Messaging and communication tools: The Opportunity Agenda's Ten Tips for Putting Intersectionality into Practice; Ten Lessons for Talking About Race, Racism and Racial Justice and The Case of the Cultural Influencers: Colin Kaepernick, Jimmy Kimmel, and #MeToo
• Hashtags: #Feb22 #ImageAwards

On this day in 1933, singer, songwriter, pianist, and activist Nina Simone was born. Throughout her career, Simone fearlessly spoke out against injustice. Use the anniversary of Simone’s birth as the opportunity to talk about the example she provided for artists to be activists and cultural influencers. Cite the values of Voice and Equality.

• Messaging and communication tools: The Opportunity Agenda’s The Case of the Cultural Influencers and AndAction’s Pop Culture Works 
• Hashtag: #NinaSimone

On this day in 1965, Malcolm X was assassinated in Harlem, New York. A Netflix documentary questions the criminal investigation following his death. Discuss the anniversary of his death and the legacy of Malcolm X's activism by citing the values of Voice, Equality, and Community. 

• Messaging and communication tools: New York Times' Who Really Killed Malcolm X?; The Opportunity Agenda's Ten Lessons for Talking About Race, Racism and Racial Justice
• Hashtag: #MalcolmX

Each year, the president of the National Congress of American Indians (NCAI) presents the State of Indian Nations around the time that coincides with the U.S. president's State of the Union. NCAI President Jefferson Keel will “outline the goals of tribal leaders, the opportunities for success and advancement of Native peoples, and priorities to advance the nation-to-nation relationship with the United States.” A member of Congress is invited each year to deliver a congressional response.

• Messaging and communication tools: National Congress of American Indians’ Tribal Nations and the United States: An Introduction; Webinar recording: Exploring U.S. Census and Message Perceptions of Rural American Indian Residents and Reclaiming Native Truths’ Changing the Narrative about Native Americans
• Hashtag: #SOIN2021

On this day in 1868, W. E. B. Du Bois was born. He was a sociologist, historian, Pan-Africanist, author, and editor, was one of the co-founders of the NAACP in 1909 and the leader of the Niagara Movement. Discuss his birthday as another example of working for racial justice. Cite the values of Equality and Voice.

• Messaging and communication tools: The Opportunity Agenda’s Ten Lessons for Talking About Race, Racism, and Racial Justice and Zinn Education Project’s Teach Reconstruction Campaign
• Hashtags: #RacialJustice #TeachReconstruction

On this day in 1870 (150 years ago), Hiram Revels was sworn in as senator from Mississippi, becoming the first African American to serve in the U.S. Senate. Revels is one of only 11 African Americans ever to have served in the United States Senate. Discuss this anniversary with the values of Equality and Voice.

• Messaging and communication tools: Eric Foner's There Have Been 10 Black Senators Since Emancipation; The Opportunity Agenda’s Ten Lessons for Talking About Race, Racism and Racial Justice and Zinn Education Project’s Teach Reconstruction Campaign
• Hashtags: #RacialJustice; #TeachReconstruction

On this day, eight years ago, Trayvon Martin was shot and killed in Florida by a neighborhood watch volunteer. After the acquittal of his killer in 2013, activists launched the #BlackLivesMatter movement. Discuss Trayvon citing the values of Community and Equality.

• Messaging and communication tools: The Opportunity Agenda's Create Fair and Effective Policing Practices; Opportunity for Black Men and Boys, and Trayvon Martin Story viewing guides; Paramount and BET’s Trayvon Martin Story online video series; Black Lives Matter's #TalkAboutTrayvon - A Toolkit for White People
• Hashtags: #TalkAboutTrayvon; #TrayvonMartinStory

On Feb. 27, 1973, members of the American Indian Movement (AIM) began their occupation of Wounded Knee, the site of the 1890 massacre in South Dakota’s Pine Ridge Reservation. The occupation lasted 71 days and called attention to living conditions and mistreatment from federal and local agencies. Use this anniversary to talk about the values of Economic Security and Voice for Native American communities.

• Messaging and communication tools: Native America Today’s AIM Occupation of Wounded Knee Begins; National Congress of American Indians’ Tribal Nations and the United States: An Introduction; U.S. Department of Arts and Culture's #HonorNativeLand: A Guide and Call for Acknowledgement; Reclaiming Native Truths’ Changing the Narrative about Native Americans
• Hashtag: #WoundedKnee73; #HonorNativeLand