Sunday, February 13, 2022
February 13 is known as Black Love Day. It was founded, in 1993, by Ayo Handy-Kendi (also known as Mama Ayo) as an alternative holiday for African Americans to celebrate and love one another at a time of year when love is already in the air because of Valentine’s Day.
Valentine’s Day is considered a Eurocentric holiday, which packages romance and “I love offerings” around Hallmark cards and boxes of Godiva. It is another commercially focused holiday, which does not fully resonate with many African Americans.
Like Kwanzaa, many African Americans are focusing on celebrating holidays that have cultural and spiritual relevance as well as avoiding Eurocentric holidays that idolize colonialism, white superiority, and sometimes even genocide. Yet, Black Love Day is not simply a rejection of Valentine’s Day. It is an affirmation of Black love, culture, and ritual. It was initiated to put an end to self-hatred among Black people, stop the violence, end racism, and increase peace—while offering an Africa-centered, spiritually-influenced holiday.
Black Love Day is also called Akoma Day. The Akoma is an ancient African Adinkra (Ghana) symbol of divine love and unity. The Akoma was “appropriated” for Valentine’s Day and is commonly called the “heart” today.
Black love day is a day of atonement, reconciliation, and celebration.
The holiday is based on five tenets:
Love toward the creator,
Love for self,
Love for the family,
Love for and within the Black community, and
Love for Black people.
The idea is to apply these tenets throughout the entire year in one’s daily life but also to pay special homage to the idea of Black love on Feb. 13. People of other races and ethnicities can work on their behaviour and racial attitudes toward Black people and demonstrate “love in action” to African Americans.
“We encourage people on this day to do something very simple—just demonstrate love for 24 hours, and celebrate and atone, offer forgiveness to ourselves and to others, and to accept the very important tenets,” Ayo Handy-Kendi, the founder and director of the African
American Holiday Association (AAHA).
Black Couples talk about Black Love Day.
Black Love Books. Show love to your Black Bookseller