Black Futures Month imagines what’s next for Black lives

Black Futures Month will consist of engaging black artists and writers in using their creative expression to visualize and discuss issues that impact black communities. Raul Luna/Flickr (CC BY 2.0) | Remix by Jason Reed, The Daily Dot.

Today marks the first day of Black History Month—but that is not the only celebration of Black people in February.

BLM will be using the hashtag #BlackFutureMonth in their social media campaign as a form of outreach. However, the official project is called Black Futures Month, with “futures” being plural, as there is not just one future they are imagining for the lives of Black people.

Organizers are clear that Black Futures Month is not meant to be a replacement of Black History Month, which celebrates the struggles, triumphs, and achievements of Black people in the U.S. Black History Month was created in 1926 (originally as Negro History Week) by Dr. Carter G. Woodson, a writer and historian who was one of the first African-Americans to receive a doctorate from Harvard University, according to History.com. Black History Month has been officially recognized by U.S. presidents since in 1976.

However, Black Futures Month, which is in its second year, will have a slightly different focus. It will be a time for Black people to imagine life in the future, in addition to fighting for an end to deaths from police brutality, explained Tanya Lucia Bernard, 32, arts and culture director at Black Lives Matter.