Black History Month Let’s fly the flag for heritage, culture and art

I fly two flags - it’s about belonging

Many of us at WorldRemit fly two flags, just like our customers and wider community. But what exactly does that mean?  It means that many of us have a strong connection to more than one country, be it through birth, family, work or choice of place to live.

But it’s more than that. It’s also about celebrating and belonging to more than one culture - being proud of both where we live and where we come from.

Flying two flags can be incredibly important to the African American community and its identity. And so for Black History Month, we want to highlight members of this community, and find out what it means to them to Fly Two Flags: Here’s what they had to say:

Miracle

A proud Nigerian living in Ontario, Canada, Miracle is equally at home in the serenity of being away from home as she is immersed in the nightlife in Lagos. Her bond to her community remains strong even across the distance, even when sports events might divide her loyalties! The Toronto Maple Leafs get Miracle’s support for hockey, but when it comes to football she goes mad for her home team the Nigerian Super Eagles.

Miracle I Fly Two Flags

Abdullaye

Born and raised in NYC, Abdullaye is endlessly proud and connected to his Malian heritage. The flags he flies don’t stop at just two; his extended family is spread all over the world, from South Carolina, USA, to the UK and France. He says of his global family and their bond:

“Even if you live in different countries, it’s beautiful to know we’ll always be connected through our Malian blood.”

And as much as he loves classic New York dishes like pizza as well as chicken and fries, there’s just something about the Malian dish mafé that ‘hits different’ for Abdullaye after a day on a photo shoot or creating content.

Abdullaye I Fly Two Flags

Let’s wave the flags of Black History

Due to the slave trade, many African Americans don’t know exactly where their ancestors originated from. So, they may have no flag of heritage to fly. Several movements in the US have fought to fill that gap and give their community a sense of heritage and belonging.

The African Diaspora community have claimed and created new flags to represent their community and identity - flags such as The Pan-African flag  and Black Heritage flag. Find out more about these flags and others representing Black communities around the world in our interesting article Flags of Black History and Culture.

Exploring Black artists

Art is all about connection: about promoting a reaction or feeling in others and in the artists themselves. So, in celebration of Black History Month we’re looking at how Black artists in the US and Britain use their art to connect with their heritage.

We’ve also explored how they express their complex relationship with history - a history that is often difficult to trace. We’ve picked four prominent artists - David  Hammons, Kara Walker, Kimathi Donkor and Sir Frank Bowling.  Read their inspirational stories here: Black History Month: Flying two flags for Black art

Celebrating Black fashion

There’s so much to celebrate in African fashion and its impact around the world. It has a huge significance to members of the diaspora as another way to express their identity and reflect on history.

So, we’re delighted to share our fascinating article; Black History Month: Black fashion and Africa Fashion week. It covers so much including a look at Africa Fashion Week and an exploration of Africa’s influence on western fashion.

Black Health and Wellness

So, as you prepare to acknowledge and celebrate Black History Month in your own way, we hope the articles we’ve shared with you will delight and inspire. And as this year’s theme for the month is Black Health and Wellness - now more than ever, we wish you health and happiness in the year ahead.