Black History Month, or BHM for short, starts in October every year, and is an important time for everyone at QVC – at Team BR&VE, our team member resource group which stands for Backgrounds Represented And Valued Everywhere, we celebrate and champion support all year round!

While Black History Month originated in the United States, BHM is now acknowledged and celebrated across the world. The UK celebrates BHM in October while our neighbours in the US celebrate BHM in February. Black History Month in the UK started in 1987, on the 150th anniversary of the Caribbean emancipation, and was organised by Ghanaian analyst Akyaaba Addai-Sebo, who worked for the Greater London Council – the celebration slowly spread to other boroughs, and then to the rest of the UK.

In the United States, February became an important month because of two figures who changed history for the black community forever: US President Abraham Lincoln (born on the 12th of February), who issued the Emancipation Proclamation, and African American abolitionist, Frederick Douglass (born on the 14th of February). But BHM began in 1915 when historian, Carter G. Woodson co-founded the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History, which led to the second week of February being called ‘Negro History Week,’ in 1926. The week-long celebrations and acknowledgments became Black History Month in 1976 when US president Gerald Ford expanded the respects to ‘honour the too-often neglected accomplishments of Black Americans in every area of endeavour throughout our history.’

BHM is a time to reflect and appreciate the achievements and history of the black community across the globe. It is a time to teach and learn about the diverse and rich cultures that stem from a history of African diaspora and segregation. It is important to understand the crucial theme surrounding this time of the month: to ensure black history is shared everywhere, to make sure nothing is forgotten, and to honour the innumerable triumphs of Black Americans, Black Britons, and Black communities across this big blue orb we call home.