Courtesy of Dr. Sha Battle / Photo by Janet Howard Studios
International Women’s Month gets a lot of airtime. Celebratory posts flood your feed, and “empowering” brand emails fill your inbox. But every year it seems like the same women are at the forefront of these celebrations (and the majority are not of African descent). Sound familiar? Dr. Sha Battle noticed it too. But rather than scroll past the performative celebrations, she asked a harder question: where, exactly, are the Black women in all of this?
Her answer? Build something from scratch. The story of how it started is almost poetic in its simplicity. “I thought we already had a Black Women’s History Month,” Dr. Battle recalls, “but found quickly that we didn’t, so I proceeded to do so.” Just like that. Gap identified, gap filled. That’s the kind of main character energy we are here for.
When International Black Women’s History Month launched in April of 2016, not everyone got it right away. “Some people looked at me like I had five heads,” she laughed, “but others took to the mission immediately.” And once you understand what sparked her vision, it’s hard not to become an instant convert too. While researching Black women to honor, Dr. Battle kept uncovering story after story of women who had done extraordinary things. Women whose names and contributions had simply never made it mainstream. That erasure lit a fire.
“I kept coming across Black women that have done incredible things, none of which I had learned about in school.”
At the heart of the initiative is the annual Black Women’s History Month Awards. Think of it as the recognition ceremony the culture should have had all along. But don’t expect this to be a highlight reel reserved only for the famous or the flashy. Dr. Battle’s vision is radically inclusive. Recognizing the women doing quiet, world-changing work in communities nobody’s writing think-pieces about. Not just the ones with blue checkmarks or bestselling memoirs.
“This initiative impacts each and every one of us,” she says. “It’s not just for those who have made grandiose contributions, but those who have been a mentor, or are committed to taking care of their family and community. They are to be celebrated and supported as well.”
What’s perhaps most remarkable about Dr. Battle’s decade-long journey isn’t just its staying power but also its reach. Afro-Caribbean islands have embraced the initiative, further expanding the mission and vision. And across the border, the NAACP in Vancouver has officially adopted it as well, signaling that this movement has grown far beyond its origins into something the diaspora is claiming as its own.
“Representation without investment is just aesthetics.”
As she marks 10 years of this mission, Dr. Battle isn’t slowing down. Her sights are firmly set on the next generation, with plans to launch scholarships and grants that put real resources behind young Black women who are ready to lead. Because representation without investment is just aesthetics, and Dr. Battle has never been interested in aesthetics alone.
And for any woman sitting on a vision she hasn’t yet acted on? Dr. Battle’s message is direct and doesn’t leave much room for excuses: “Have the courage of your convictions. If there’s something you want to do for yourself or your community, go do it.”
Ten years in, Dr. Sha Battle is proof that when you create something the world is missing, the world will come to you.
Learn more about International Black Women’s History Month and upcoming events at blackwomenshistorymonth.com.
