
I asked some of our speakers about why they celebrate Black History Month. Here are two answers:
“As a historian and professor of Black History, I celebrate the diverse experiences, innovations, and contributions of African Americans every day. Black History Month allows me to tell these stories to broader audiences. Black History Month represents inclusive history.” – Speaker, Professor, Author Deirdre Cooper Owens, PhD.

“I celebrate Black History month by always remembering my ancestors. That was my great- great- great- great grandmother who was an enslaved woman that made her way to Bullock county Alabama. She died in 1917. (For reference I was born in 1966.) Without her ancestors surviving the middle passage, I would not be here. I always think about thousands of enslaved folks that did not survive. It’s estimated 2 – 4 million enslaved Africans did not survive. They were captured and sold like any other commercial good and probably traded for raw materials. That’s the blood that runs through my veins. Their strength- as well as their trauma- are all in me and my life matters because there’s did too.” – Speaker/Trainer, Desiree Adaway
(You can still book a Black History Month speaker. Here are our picks.)
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The assault on DEI that has taken place this past week is unnerving. It is the kind of action that has me and so many others losing sleep. It is an intentional attempt to erase and minimize the contributions of so many brilliant and beautiful Black people who have shaped our country and our world.
So what are we doing about it here at Melibee Global Speakers? We’re doubling down on DEI. History of diverse people cannot be erased as far as we are concerned, despite the current administration’s tremendous efforts. So little do they know of the oral traditions that have carried so many diverse people across generations and distance. We are deeply committed to serving up DEI more than ever (as well as lots of other topics (courage, voice, leadership, artificial intelligence (AI), etc.)).
One of the many joys of my work here at Melibee Global Speakers is that I get to sit in on countless preparation meetings for speaking engagements. We cover logistics but we also go deep into content. What are the goals of the talk? What do we need to emphasize for learning outcomes? What do we need to be mindful of in terms of thinking through sensitive topics and critical incidents at work/community? During these conversations, I often find myself making notes of knowledge dropped that adds to my growing list of things I didn’t learn in formal schooling in the United States. For example, before I met Dr. Cooper Owens, I did not know that Harriet Tubman was a disabled woman. Having heard her talk about this, I have a deeper awareness of Ms. Tubman’s contributions to American society and the workplace. When I do listen in to the live talks for clients, I’m floored by how many people in each space (virtual or in person) openly share how little they typically know about our country’s history and how grateful they are for new information I nod my head, knowing the work that we are doing is necessary and important. It will not slow down for us.
This year’s suggested Black History month theme is African Americans and Labor. As a society, we don’t think about the emotional labor we continue to put our African American kin through at work. How exhausting it must be to wake up to our news cycle. To be bombarded with micro-agressions that are largely unaddressed in the workplace. What it feels like to often be the only Black person in the meeting. To be assumed to be someone’s secretary or even a member of the cleaning staff – yes…it happens all to often.
The absolute exhaustion.
Black History Month is nearly here. We are celebrating from the top of our heads to the tips of our toes that are firmly planted in Black Joy. We will book Black History Month keynote speakers for this month right up until the end of February – simply put, it is and will never be too late to celebrate Black History in the United States.
You can hear more about why Dr. Cooper Owens is a great fit for Black History Month in this short video:
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