Black History Month Begins at Home

Honouring Black History Through Art, Craft, and Intentional Living

Black History Month is often framed as a time to look back, to study, to acknowledge, to remember. But history isn’t only something we read, it's something we live with.

Black History Month often inspires aesthetic expression but what if it also invited us to honour authorship?

In today’s world, many of the objects that fill our homes arrive without names, without context, without credit. Materials are generalized. Craft is anonymized. Stories are lost somewhere between production and purchase.

This erasure is not neutral.

When cultural origin is removed from objects, the people behind them disappear too, along with the knowledge, skill, and lineage that shaped them. This has been especially true for Black and African creativity, which has long been admired, replicated, and consumed without recognition or equitable financial return to the communities behind it.

Reclaiming Cultural Origin: Why Kente Cloth Matters

A powerful example of reclaiming cultural authorship comes from Ghana.

In 2025, Ghana officially granted Kente cloth Geographical Indication (GI) status meaning only Kente woven in certified Ghanaian communities can legally bear the name Kente. Much like Champagne must come from Champagne, France, this decision protects not just a textile but the people, places, and traditions behind it.

It is a reminder that cultural heritage is not just aesthetic.
It is intellectual, economic, and deeply human.

Living With History—Not Just Referencing It

At September Collective, we believe the home is one of the most powerful places to practice cultural continuity.

Take the Djembe Side Table by Tekura Designs.

Historically, the djembe drum has been central to West African life. It was often used for communication, ceremony, storytelling, and collective memory. Rather than preserving the drum as a static artifact, Tekura (a Ghanian design house) reinterprets its form into a modern furniture piece.

The familiar silhouette remains, but its purpose evolves.

(Djembe Drum Table as featured in the movie "Wakanda Forever".)

Tekura Wooden stools and side table by a body of water with fishing boats in the background. A scene from the Black panther movie.

This is not decorative imitation.
It is transformation.
It allows history to live forward as functional, present, and part of everyday life.

This same principle applies to artwork by Black artists.

A canvas piece is not simply wall décor, it is a visual record of perspective, memory, and lived experience, made present in the home.

When displayed intentionally, it becomes part of daily life rather than something reserved for museums, archives, or a single month of the year.

In this way, both objects do the same work:
They refuse erasure.
They carry story.
They insist on presence.

Similarly, a handwoven basket by Baba Tree reflects generations of weaving knowledge from Northern Ghana. Its variations are not imperfections; they are signatures and evidence of skill passed down through time.

These are not only decorative objects.
They are living expressions of heritage.

Baba Tree Artisan Woman holding a woven basket with intricate patterns in an indoor setting.

Honouring Black History Through the Home

Honouring Black history doesn’t require grand gestures or a complete reinvention of your space. Often, it begins with curiosity.

Ask yourself:
Who made this?
Where did it travel from?
What history does it carry forward?

When you choose objects with known origins, your home becomes layered, not just styled, but rooted.

Because Black history is not only something we commemorate once a year.

It’s something we live with, piece by piece, room by room.

Your Home, Your Story.

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