How to Authentically Celebrate Heritage & History Months at Work

Learning to build a diverse and inclusive workplace is not only pivotal to business performance but helps enhance and shape the overall employee experience. One of the ways we drive this at Convene is through our DE&I programming celebrating cultural diversity throughout the year.

Corporate Heritage Month celebrations should aim to not only uplift and acknowledge the various diverse communities and their achievements, but go beyond the surface level to shine light on the social injustices still faced today and the work that needs to be done to achieve equity. 

Here are three ways to authentically observe Heritage Months in and out of the workplace:

Acknowledge the Past & Present

Knowing that the cultures celebrated during Heritage Months aren’t a monolith, take a moment to research the history behind the month being celebrated, various stories, key contributions, along with the corresponding annual theme to curate programming that aligns. Doing this research helps to avoid celebrations that may be tokenizing, reinforce stereotypes and in turn harm the communities you're looking to uplift.  

For instance, over 20 countries comprise Hispanic/LatinX culture; celebrations during Hispanic/Latiné Heritage Month (Sept. 15 - Oct. 15) could range from exploring the various countries style of cuisine with a recipe share out or cooking class, learning how to dance Salsa, Bachata, Merengue, etc. with dance lessons, to hosting speakers on panels/fireside chats, and much more. 

When in doubt enlist the help of your organization’s Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) or form a planning committee to share input & feedback.

Support Small

While planning your organization’s Heritage Month festivities, opt to incorporate vendors that are either local to the community and/or are BIPOC*, LGBTQ+, Family or Women-owned whenever possible. 

By connecting with organizations who work closely with a community day in, day out, you stay true to the purpose of Heritage Month: to recognize and amplify voices that are underserved and/or historically marginalized. Providing a platform for artists, authors, speakers, or nonprofit leaders with an authentic connection to the culture allows your team to make an authentic connection and provides the resources to make a genuine impact within those communities. Our Black History Month showcase featured two individuals making a significant difference through art: Essence, a singer, songwriter, and daughter of J.Mega from the 90s Rap group “All City,” spreads love through her music and nationally recognized activist, poet and author Roya Marsh works towards LGBTQIA justice and dismantling white supremacy.

Some of Convene’s favorites from past Heritage Months celebrations include Awesomely Authentic, BarNone Games, and AlwaysPlay Studios.

* BIPOC - Black, Indigenous, Person of Color

Be a Change Advocate

Supporting those who are historically marginalized not only during Heritage Months but throughout the year is key to building a more equitable and inclusive workforce and community. Ways to achieve this include volunteering/donating to local non-profit organizations & mutual aid funds, revisiting your organization’s policies/benefits to ensure employees can show up as their true selves and receive the support they need, and building recruitment pipelines/closing pay gaps.

Become the Change at #TeamConvene 

Diversity, equity, and inclusion is the cornerstone of our practice at Convene. In addition to Heritage Month celebrations, we have a regular calendar of programming dedicated to employee resource groups, along with an active mentorship program aimed to elevate diverse voices. Interested in becoming part of the change at Convene? Learn more about our community today.