Foundations: A window into the Black home on Pinterest

by Abby Adesanya, Christyna Conway & Emily Barisone, Blackboard Global Leads

For Black History Month 2023, Pinterest honored Black travel. After finding our routes, it’s time to make our way home. Introducing our theme for Black History Month 2024: Foundations, a window into the Black home on Pinterest.

For Black people around the world, home is more than just a roof over our heads. In light of darker history, home has transformed into a canvas for creative expression, a tribute to our culture and traditions and a place of refuge when the world closes its doors on us. 

Within the walls of every Black home is a collection of memories that take shape in the forms of art, furniture, recipes and more. We are builders, using Pinterest to design a space that reflects our vibrant identities.

Foundations was designed to honor the sacred spaces we create out of a desire for shelter, creativity and community. Our mission was to draw from the history of the Black interior while envisioning the future of the Black home, and we are so thrilled to announce the exciting experiences we’ve planned, to bring that mission to life.

Celebrating BHM on Pinterest 

We know that Pinterest provides the world with endless inspiration around what the Black home can be. That’s why we’re using our platform to elevate Black artistry all month long: we’re featuring creators and businesses from our community within articles on Pinterest’s highly-viewed editorial surface, the Today Tab, and highlighting Black creatives in the home space within Pinterest’s very own "Creating Communities" Pinterest board.

We’ve also partnered with the legendary Black lifestyle publication ESSENCE Magazine to showcase their favorite home essentials from Black-owned brands in a special Shopping Spotlight.

How the Pinterest team is recognizing BHM 

This year, we’re sharing The Alphabet of Black Creations, a guide that toasts to the unsung heroes who shaped the Black home, using their talents to construct safe havens for us all. We’re also hosting a series of special virtual and IRL events, inviting all Blackboard members and allies to join us in commemorating Black History Month as a community. 

From conversations around preserving the Black home with special guests like Kai Avent-deLeon and Jerald Cooper to wellness-inclined sessions around regenerative living and finding home within ourselves, we have an incredible slate of programming designed to recognize the beauty that is the Black dwelling.

Most importantly, a home is only as strong as its foundation: to extend our impact into the real world, Blackboard is supporting a non-profit organization committed to providing shelter and accommodation for people in need across the United States, Canada and Germany.

Warm wishes for BHM

Everyone deserves a home to see themselves within and we are proud to honor Black History Month through the lens of our most treasured environments. However you choose to celebrate, we hope you make time to relax, take up space and enjoy your surroundings this February. From all of us here in Pinterest’s Blackboard community, Happy Black History Month!