Celebrating Black History Month & Supporting Black Men’s Careers

In this week’s guest column, East Coast Executives’ President Kenneth Johnson explores how Black History Month has evolved throughout the years. He not only shares how he is celebrating it, but also contributing to it by supporting the careers of Black professional men.

As a young child when I heard the phrase “History Repeats itself”, I always cringed and silently said to myself “I hope that’s not true”; especially as it relates to Black History. Entering high school, I found the desire to seek out information and the real history of Black people began to push to the surface. As the hip-hop music of my youth began to spawn what is now referred to as “The Conscious Rap Era”, artists like Public Enemy and KRS-One of BDP pierced my psyche with stories of black empowerment.

I began to understand that my history and ancestry didn’t start with slavery; and that same history didn’t end with the Thirteenth Amendment. Black History was constant and definitely something that brought a sense of pride. With no disrespect to my predecessors – Black History began to be so much more inclusive than a few great Civil Rights Activists; it consisted of seemingly everyday people working towards amazing things. The history makers that I admired were the ones who committed to uplifting, supporting and providing guidance to the masses in a world that often intentionally designed laws and systems to ensure their absolute failure.

ADDING VALUE TO BLACK HISTORY

So it’s Black History Month 2022 and I no longer cringe. I approach the month as a time to look at my own contribution; to look myself in the mirror and ask “what have you done to add value to Black History?“; “what have you done to allow you to celebrate the history of Black people?” Truthfully, I’ve done this every year since my first childhood visit to the African American Museum in Philadelphia.

This year is different. I had an answer and it was a good one. This year I replied to myself “blkbox”. My contribution in 2022 is blkbox I repeated with a laugh and a smile that only the achiever of a major accomplishment can rock.

CAREER PORTAL FOR BLACK MEN

blkbox is a career consciousness portal for Black men powered by East Coast Executives. It is designed to serve as a resource hub to support the careers of Black men at all levels. As a recruiter and career services professional, I spend hours daily communicating and sharing information and stories with people from all demographic backgrounds; I truly am the world’s number one Diversity Recruiter.

So going back to the story; over the years there’s been a common theme in the stories and the statistics weaved through the work we do at East Coast Executives. The careers of Black men are being overlooked. Black Men are in need of career coaching, mentorship, sponsorship and networking; and Black men definitely require a place to regroup, strategise and collectively grow. We’re here for that.

In August of 2021 The blkbox App launched in the Apple i0S and Google Play stores. We’ve since launched the blkbox App Podcast in partnership with burst.com. It airs on Airy TV, to showcase the work of amazing Black men who are making their own history. To date we’ve featured Torin Ellis, Eugene Curtain III, AJ Link and Marcus Cooper to name a few. Check out the first episode here.

We welcome all to become part of the blkbox family. Our mission is to support the careers of Black men and the App allows us to do that through the offerings available. We are currently seeking sponsors and supporters to work with us to create career tracks; training; apprenticeships; internship programmes and Black History. The goal is to create a virtual blkbox Career Academy. Now that would be a great answer to the question I’ll ask myself in February of 2023; “What did you contribute to Black History?” The blkbox Career Academy!  

MORE ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Kenneth L Johnson is a distinguished Diversity Recruiter and Career Services professional. He drives business results for clients through creative sourcing strategies and global diversity recruiting programmes as Founder & President of the diversity recruitment firm, East Coast Executives.

Johnson was selected by Black Enterprise Magazine as a BE Modern Man and Forbes Media as a Forbes Coaches Council Member. He is a TEDx Speaker; organiser of TEDxHarlem; Google OnAir Career Workshop Facilitator, Indeed Job Cast Instructor; and he serves as Host & Executive Producer of The Career Seekers Show on WPPM 106.5 FM in Philly. Additionally, he hosts the National Urban League Jobs Network Digital Career Success Series (DCSS). Johnson is also Founder of blkbox; the Tech App platform designed to support the careers of Black Men.

CELEBRATING BLACK HISTORY MONTH

Check out our past guest columns dedicated to African American History Month:

• Diversity champion Dawn E Christian outlines why she believes Black History Month is Everybody’s History Month. She also reveals how her grandfather, Dr Merl R Eppse, played an instrumental role in the creation of Black History Week in the US. Click here to read.

• Michelle Wimes, Former Chief Diversity and Professional Development Officer at international law firm Ogletree Deakins, reflects on the commonly asked question: ‘Why does everything always have to be about race?’ Wimes also highlights the importance of celebrating the accomplishments of Black people both in and outside of the workplace.  Click here to read.

• Leadership and diversity expert Nicole D Price highlights how celebrating the month can help to normalise conversations about race and diversity in the workplace. She also provides valuable nuggets of advice for D&I/HR professionals on how to best celebrate the month in a meaningful way. Click here to read.

Check out our interview with Kenneth Johnson on how he is battling for equality and opportunity in executive recruitment; as well as how he is creating positive change in the diversity and inclusion space.